SPACE AS A NEW FRONTIER. The US Approach Toward Space Activities from Eisenhower to Obama (Emory Elliott Award for Outstanding Paper)
SPACE AS A NEW FRONTIER. The US Approach Toward Space Activities from Eisenhower to Obama (Emory Elliott Award for Outstanding Paper)

Summary/Abstract: Tensions in the ‘global commons’ gained international attention with Flournoy—undersecretary of defense policy at the US Department of Defense—who referred to it as the source of emerging security challenges in her speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in April 2009. Among the global commons, which include Antarctica, oceans, the atmosphere, and outer space, the legacy of success in the use of outer space and the desire to exercise power over it have presented new international challenges, especially among the ‘space powers.’ This article will provide a historical outline of national space policies in the American context—from Eisenhower to Obama—based on frontier theory. The writer addresses the present research core question: would the US approach to directing space activities be cooperative or competitive in order to preserve its leadership and its national security in the space arena? Recognizing the importance of space-based projects to the US national interest, this article discusses the evolution of US national space policy on the basis of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) civilian and exploratory space activities related to US space security.

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