US President Donald Trump can be considered guilty of many things, but he can’t be considered guilty of not attempting to preserve the fruits of his labor.
This can be seen in the maximum pressure campaign against Iran, his endless antagonism directed against China, the unstoppable crusade against the Nord Stream 2, and most recently, and one would say most notably – the premier product of his presidency: the US Space Force.
It is no secret that under the guidance of Trump and Co., the United States has advanced rapidly in terms of space exploration (move aside Elon Musk), and especially militarily.
The largest leap so far, is an Executive Presidential Order on promoting small modular nuclear reactors for Space Exploration (and National Defense). After all, the US was the first country to develop nuclear energy and use it, back in 1951 in Arco, Idaho.
Because the US Space Force plans to not only go to Space, but also reach the far reaches of the cosmos (possibly together with the “Galactic Federation”). It needs better energy, since solar power can’t always be used (you could go too far from the Sun, and who knows if other stars work in the same way, surely Trump doesn’t).
Nuclear reactors of up to 100 kilowatts may be needed to support human habitats, ISRU, other facilities, and rovers on both on the Moon and on Mars.
After all, just over a year ago the US Space Force got its first recruits, now called Guardians, and they’ve not even faced a lawsuit from ViacomCBS for ripping off the Star Trek logo, and from Disney for simply copying the name of the “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
These are only some of the successes – they also got their first deployment; it should be mentioned that it was off US soil – to Qatar, which is in the Middle East, not in Space. But why should that be a deterrent to Trump and his Space Force’s enthusiasm?
There’s really nothing new in space, and the race to get the upper hand in it. It’s been going on for years, and neither Neil Armstrong nor Yuri Gagarin put a pin in it.
In terms of militarization there have been concerns for a while, and all the leading powers have expressed their worries and have accused each other, more than once. The end of those empty accusations has come, however, and if nothing else, the US Space Force has lifted the arms race above the atmosphere.
It is unknown if Joe Biden and his administration will continue developing the Space Force and continue Trump’s legacy. Even if it does, it’s a significant question how it will do so.
Until then, however, other Middle Eastern countries (and potentially outer space at some point) should get ready, because Trump’s Space Force is coming to shake things up!
*
Note to readers: please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.
SUPPORT SOUTHFRONT:
PayPal: [email protected], http://southfront.org/donate/ or via: https://www.patreon.com/southfront
