Abstract: The launch of the Soviet "Sputnik" satellite in October 1957 shocked the world and propelled the rhetoric and the realities of the Cold War into the space age. At the same time, the Soviet feat raised the threat of mass destruction from space, and served as the basis for strategists to argue for a means to shoot down enemy satellites. Although the arguments used to justify the need for an antisatellite (ASAT) weapon have changed in the years since "Sputnik," the policy and strategy for its employment have always focused on the need to destroy, or threaten to destroy, Soviet satellites on orbit.
| Limitations: |
 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE |
| Pages: |
46 |
| Report Date: |
MAR 1999 |
| Report Number: |
A711163 |
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