Sky Trek To The ‘Near Space’ Neighborhood

Published: Nov 10, 2005
Source: www.space.com



Near Space is a region where few aircraft can tread. Floating high above the jet stream, lighter-than-air ships are now deemed as a way to loiter at length. They appear ideal for keeping tabs on a foe’s troops or delivering telecommunications services to your own warriors.

From on-high, sensor-laden platforms might gaze at weather or monitor a huge expanse of airspace as part of a ballistic missile defense shield. Supporters of high-altitude platforms contend they can deliver services on a par with Earth orbiting spacecraft—at far lower cost.

General Lance Lord, Commander of the Air Force Space Command, touched upon emerging Near Space attributes at an October 20th Pacific Space Leadership Forum in Hawaii. Near Space is between 65,000 feet (20 kilometers) and 325,000 feet (99 kilometers) above sea level.

"The fact is space has transformed the modern battlefield. We are more precise, more efficient, and more combat effective because of space. We are also less destructive, less likely to inflict collateral damage, and less likely to go to war because of space," Lord said. "If you can tie it to a balloon you can get it to Near Space, our prototyping efforts with communication and imagery platforms [are] showing promise towards giving us a low cost persistent world-wide presence."continue..