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Air University Quarterly Review: Winter 1958-59, Volume X, No. 4

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Air University Quarterly Review: Winter 1958-59, Volume X, No. 4 Publislie I by Air University as tke professional Journal of tbe United States Air Force T he U nited States Air Force AIR UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY REYIEVV V olume X * WINTER 1958-59 N umber 4 THE INEVITABLE CLIMB TO SPA C E......................................................3 G en. T h OxMas D. W hite, USAF TOOLING UP FOR THE BALLISTIC MISSILES TRAINING PROGRAM ...............................................................................6 B ric. G en. J erry D. P age, USAF EVALUATING MILITARY STRATEGY................................................... 21 C ol. J ohn C. M eyer, USAF HUMAN-FACTORS SUPPORT OF THE X 15 PROGRAM . 31 L t . C ol. B urt Rowen, USAF (MC) THE CASE FOR A MANNED SPACE WEAPON SYSTEM . 40 M aj. P aul V. B artlett, USAF, and M aj. R elf A. F enley, USAF SOVIET-BLOC CIVIL AVIATION IN THE COLD W AR...................47 C omdr. R obert R. Campbell, USN TIME DILATION AND THE ASTRONAUT......................................69 M aj. E van R. Goltra, USAF (MC) PERSONNEL LAG AND THE AIR FORCE...........................................78 C ol. M yron F. B arlow, USAF, and Dr . F rank J. V anasek ESCAPE AND SURVIVAL DURING SPACE OPERATIONS . 85 C ol. P aul A. C ampbell, USAF (MC) IN MY OPINION Don’t Let Efficiency Squelch Education! . ........................91 Maj. R obert J. Ulrich, USAF AIR FORCE REVIEW Home Study—A Partial Answer to USAF Training Requirements........................ ......................................98 Col. Paul T. T empske, USAF BOOKS AND IDEAS A Reading List of Books on Astronautics......................................104 D r . R aymond Estep Address manuscripts to Editor, Air University Quarterly Review, Headquarters Air Univcrsity, Max­ well Air Force Base, Ala. Use of funds for printing this publication has been approved by the Secretary of the Air Force and the Director of the Bureau of lhe Budget, 4 December 1958. Printed by the Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. Price, single copy, 50 cents; yearly subscrip- tion, 52. from Air University Book Department. Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Properly credited quotations are authorized. USAF periodical 50-2. Tlie Inevitable Climb to bpace G eneral T homas D. W hite C hief of Staff. USAF A t í KR centuries of groping through the fundamentais of ZA earth-space relatiunships, man is now invading the space envelope of his own world, which is in turn a stepping stone to the universe beyond. A very recent and fundamental part of this progress has been the discovery and development of air power. The successful accomplishments of air power which have been achieved over the last fifty years have been keystones in the foun- dation of our nation s space prograin. This era, which we call the age of air power or the air age, is in reality only a period of transi- tion, a prelude to the inevitable dawn of the space age. Air and space are not two separate media to be divided by a line and to be readily separated into two distinct categories; they are in truth a single and indivisible field of operations. Space is the natural and logical extension of air; space power is merely the 4 AIR UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY REVIEW cumulative result o£ the evolutionary growth of air power. It would be more accurate, rather than to speak of two separate and distinct eras, to adhere to a more descriptive frame of reference, one which would clearly show these phases of man’s entry into the universe in their proper perspective. Precisely speaking, we are and have been operating in the “Aerospace Age.” Within this same frame of reference, then, the equipment developed during the transition period also might be called aero­ space equipment. In comparison with man’s earth-bound activities before the first flight of the airplane at Kitty Hawk, the P-40—an early World War II fighter—was, for all intents and purposes, a pioneer space vehicle. The F-51, the F-80, the F-100, and now the F-104, to mention but a few, likewise were the evolutionary fore- runners of the future. Each succeeding improvement in structure, design, and propulsion has provided a means toward greater achievement. Experimental models like the X-l, the X-2, and the X-15 comprise additional rungs on the ladder to space. The degree of application of each of these vehicles to the exploration of space is merely relative to the point in time and technology at which they are applied. From the first military aircraft to enter the in- ventory—the Wright brothers’ pusher-type, skid-equipped airplane —to the futuristic X-15 unveiled in 1958, Air Force goals have changed in degree only; the basics have been constant—greater speed, longer range, and higher altitude. Although the basic requirements have remained unchanged, improvements and advances in Air Force equipment have been revolutionary. There are few resemblances between the first air­ plane, the World War II combat planes, and the B-70 and the F-108 which are under development today. Airframes and power plants are being developed which tax the credulity of even those who have been closely associated with the progress in these fields. Supporting systems to meet the rapidly growing demands of in- creased speed, range, and altitude are so complex that we are strained to support and maintain them. There is, however, one element in the aerospace program whose nature has not changed—that is man himself. As each new goal in our march of progress has been won, we have been faced with the problem of adapting man to his new environment, and man by the very nature of his basic design is not readily amenable to engineering change. He is primarily a sea-level, low-speed, one-g, 12-hour animal. He represents the weakest link in our aero­ space development to date, and his establishment in the hostile environment outside his own world will not be easy. THE INEVITABLE CLIMB TO SPACE 5 The question has been asked many times—why man in space? If man is, in fact, the soft spot in the development of our aero- space capability, why do we not eliminate him from the entire effort? The capability of remote instrumentation to obtain infor- mation from space already has been demonstrated in the recent satellite and lunar probe projects. Surely developments can be anticipated which will further reduce the need to risk human life in our space activities. This type of thinking is correct up to a point. The marvels of Science and the inventive genius of man can be predicted to gather more and more knowledge of space through remote efforts. Knowledge so gained will represent the majority of that available in the early stages of space exploration. But despite all the efforts of industry and the genius of Science, certain limits are automati- cally imposed where the machine is involved. A machine cannot think nor can it reason. Although certain computers closely ap- proach this capacity, even the most sophisticated of these machines cannot replace on-the-spot human judgment and selectivity. Man must operate in space, employing his logic, his common sense, and his good judgment as he encounters the unexpected and the unknown. Furthermore our spaceman must be as func- tional in space as he is in present-day air operations. In the event of military operations in space, man’s presence and ability to perform in space could spell the difference between defeat and victory. His on-the-spot presence, then, will be necessary not only for purposes of scientific research but to ensure national survival. The design and development of equipment necessary to achieve the space goals of this nation are a matter of time, effort, and ingenuity. This has been proved in many other fields which, if taken in their own context, were equally as imposing as the obstacles we face today. The problems of sufficient thrust and range and of adequate aerodynamic characteristics can logically be expected to be solved. In the same way the Solutions to the problems of placing the judgment and moral fiber of man in space will be forthcoming. From the day man invented a machine that left the ground and employed the principies of aerodynamics in its flight he was destined eventually to journey into space. His early efforts were confined to the lower fringes of the space envelope surrounding the earth; his more recent explorations have reached deep into this envelope. It is inevitable that man will go beyond these temporary limits to still greater achievements far out into space itself. Headquarters United States Air Force Tool in Ú Up for tlie Ballistic Missiles T raining Pro ^ram Brigadier (General Jerry D. Page AS I HF first of tlie ballistic missiles passes from the hands of /\ the scientists and engineers to officers and airmen of the United States Air Force, there is a natural ascending in- terest in our plans for training the men behind the weapons. Also, recognizing the space flight implications for future operations, every member of the USAF is compelled in some degree to stay abreast of these critically important developments. The Air Train­ ing Command will ensure fulfillment of the human element in this new family of weapon systems. One peculiarity of the age of automation has been that the very device whicli replaces the human being in one capacity im- poses vastly higher skill requirements on him in another. As a group the four strategic missile systems—Atlas, Titan, Thor, and Júpiter—are the most heavily automated yet introduced into the USAF inventory. Coupled with the technological aspects of the weapons is the national “sense of urgency” in the world-wide race for operational capability in both the intercontinental ballistic missile and the intermediate-range ballistic missile.
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