Alfred Thayor [Thayer] Mahan and Space: a Necessary Unity

Abstract

This thesis is an unclassified examination from a Western perspective, of the current and projected space efforts of the world and how they effect current U.S. Space Policy. There is currently no universally accepted space strategy to help in meeting the policy golals of the United States. It is the hypothesis of this thesis that the strategies needed to deal effectively with future space development were layed down in the past by Fred Thayer Mahan and others. In order to outline a current strategy an analysis was conducted of current space programs, future space efforts, orbitology/orbital mechanics, and the writings of H. Jomini, A. T. Mahan, and Sir Julian Corbett. In order to manage and arrange the large knowledge base, a systems model was developed and used in this analysis. Upon the completion of the analyses, a blending of the Mahan and orbital mechhanics was conducted in order to show, by analogy, that there exist parallels between that of naval strategy and strategies needed to reach US policy goals.