Are space shuttles technically military vehicles?

[arcos]

Not planning to start a discussion, I just want to know the facts.

Air Force One is considered a military airplane, for example. Are space shuttles considered military too?

[renter]

1. Technically...

I don't believe it is. N.A.S.A. and the military are both governmental agencies with the space shuttle being designed and used for N.A.S.A. tasks. I would guess that the shuttle has done some military tasks/missions. Also, I believe any Air Force airplane carrying the President is classified as "Air Force One."

[arcos]

2. Thanks!

And welcome to DU!
:hi:

[TheMightyFavog]

3. There were a bunch of military Shuttle missions during the 80s.

A lot of that shit is still calssified. Prolly stuff for the aborted SDI programs ans spy sattelites.

[Captain Hilts]

4. Go to any Trek forum and you'll see this debate about Starfleet.

There's no clear answer in either case.

[arcos]

5. Interesting!

Thanks!

[Swamp Rat]

6. They are delivering body parts to Darth Cheney.

He's being retro-fitted with new cybernetic parts... lots of missing people lately. :scared:



:hi: ¡Pura vida!

[arcos]

9. That's one scary Cheney!

:scared:

¿Cómo estás Swamp Rat? ¿Todo tuanis? :hi:

[Swamp Rat]

11. Tudo bem aqui!

Tuanis! :D :hug:

Acabo de falar com minha namorada lá no Ceará, Brasil, então agora vou hablar gallego. ;)

Olha, o BartCop.com usó minha obra em bajo:
http://www.bartcop.com/index.htm

[arcos]

15. Felicidades!

Buen trabajo con la imagen, aunque como siempre...... :scared:

[Swamp Rat]

16. Acabo de terminar esos (y puse otros más velhos que arrumei):

Por favor, los mande a sus amigos allí en CR. O8) Soy tratando ser un "Paul Revere" y mandar informaciones a todos sobre a invasão dos Lagartos alienígenos. :scared:

















Tengo MUITOS outros...

[ThomWV]

7. NASA Is A Civilian Agency

Its like asking if tractors owned by the Department of Agriculture are military vehicles. Obviously they are not. Neither are the cars, vans, and trucks, helicopters, and presumably firearms owned by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

However that does not discount the heavily weighted nature of all NASA projects. It is important to remember that our entire space program was originally funded simply as a means to get A-Bombs delivered rapidly and in such a manner as to avoid their interception. At the same time keep in mind that most of the things we put into space are military in nature - the space shuttle is just window dressing to make the entire Agency acceptable to the people and to disguise the additional billions of dollars that are spent which benefit the DOD directly.

[arcos]

8. This is the reason I ask...

I'm Costa Rican, and the law requires that military vehicles (from ANY country, in ANY circumstance, even when carrying foreign leaders or in other civilian missions) must get permission from Congress to travel through Costa Rican airspace.

According to NASA's plans, Discovery will pass over Central America (and probably Costa Rica) on its way back to Florida... so I was wondering if they would be required to ask for permission.

[ThomWV]

12. How High Is "Airspace"

Kind of an interesting question. How far from the earth's surface does "airspace" extend? Presumably it doesn't go any farther than the air does, which I believe is pretty much a memory by the time you hit an altitude of 100 miles. My point is that at some altitude less than the distance to the next galaxy you have to say that the term 'airspace' no longer is applicable to anything. Maybe the altitude of the Space Shuttle precludes it from being considered a trespasser.

By the way, you know of couse that agencys regularly transfer funds between one another, essentially contracting out to other parts of the Government, and the flow of dollars between the Department of Defense and NASA has always been hugh.

[arcos]

14. That's what I'm googling now...

The "discernable atmosphere" according to this Wikipedia article is 400,000 feet (120 km).

According to that article too, Columbia was traveling at 209,800 feet (64 km) just before disintegrating. The distance from the point where Columbia disintegrated to Florida is similar to the distance from Costa Rica to Florida, so I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be traveling at an altitude of 100 miles.

[sweetheart]

10. Dual use military technology

Its a military shuttle with a civilian veneer painted on it. Now that
the adminstartion has declared itself bent on the absolute militarization
of space, the workhorse transport is military, much like the Galaxy
and Hercules are military.

Once you transport military weapons, you are a military system whether
you declare it or not.

To remove the fluff, lets presume that you are a Chinese General
who has detailed information of american space weaponization. Your
job is to degrade the american space weapons infrastructure for the
taiwan invasion. Do you treat the space shuttle as off-limits because
it also serves civilian missions?

Likely not.. you'd probably prepare a series of timed nuclear
detonations in space to take out the space shuttle, station, GPS network
and known spy and weapons satellites. Sure, there are the delta rocket
launch vehicles, but then, as you'd expect in your military position,
the US will take some time to recover its space weapons positions, and
during this time, you complete your taiwan attacks.

[ThomWV]

13. Well, I Don't Think So

I believe the Chinese General would find himself in a shit storm of descending nukes in about 20 minutes. Wasn't that the response time we enjoyed even back as far into history as the 1980's? At any rate it would be haridly enough time for the Chinese to knock out our several hundred satellites, transport vehicles, platforms, and goodness only knows what other junk we have zipping around up there.

I agree with your logic though. There is no question that the space program has always had a heavy military hand applied to it and no question you are dead right that when a civilian agency or even individual device is used for military purpose then it is clearly to be labeled as military itself - and subject to attack in time of war.