Since orbital stations can be kept isolated from the Earth's biosphere, they may offer attractive locations to develop or store chemical and biological weapons (CBW) . A CBW lab is thus a possible military adapter for the SPS system.* Such a lab would be placed in a separate structure to minimize the possibility of inadvertent vectoring of agents to other orbital facilities. Physical separation of the lab would also restrict physical access by uncleared personnel and thus improve security. The last type of "adapter" to enhance military support capabilities is augmented manning. The LEO base, the GEO base, and perhaps the power satellites, all have the necessary life support and communications facilities to serve as alternate command posts, with minimal modifications needed except to supply trained military personnel. These facilities could also serve as operational bases for trained military troops. 3.2.3.2 Military Support Missions for a SPS with Military Enhancements. Table 3- 4 lists possible missions and uses of military adapters and SPS elements for military support. These support missions can be grouped in a few broad categories as discussed below. The first such category is transportation. This includes the use of SPS launch facilities as alternate launch sites for military spacecraft, the use of SPS orbital structures as docking platforms, and the use of Earth-to-LEO and orbit-to- orbit vehicles to transport military troops or supplies. The second broad category involves the supply of military material. This includes propellants, life support consumables, electrical power, and beamed power for military satellites or remote ground installations. For example, the materials stockpiles located in LEO and GEO could be utilized to support a wide range of military activities in space. SPS facilities could also be used to provide a much broader range of support. We refer to such support as shelter, services, and supplies (S3 ). This category is particularly applicable to the living/working quarters which are present at the LEO and GEO bases, as well as at the SPS. Shelter would provide life support and *See Appendix C.5 for further discussion of CBW and SPS.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==