Why Did The Space Age Die?

[fncceo]

Your thread title uses the term "Space Age" yet your OP text tends to focus on "Space Race"

In my opinion, the "Space Age" ended when we abandoned human exploration and confined ourselves to low-Earth orbit. In that respect, it is synonymous with the "Space Race".

Yes, we have lots of satellites and we depend one them much more than we did in decades past. But, when it comes to humans in space, we are further behind than now than we were in the late 1960s.

 

[Stryder50]

When Sputnik went into orbit in October 1957, 'rumor' is that the response in the West(USA/UK/etc.) among our "Rocket Scientists" was: "Guess the Russians' German Rocket Scientists are better than our 'German Rocket Scientists'." Perhaps more an expression of wit than reality because the USA had already had a couple efforts to place a satellite in orbit and been met with launchpad disasters, and we're still not certain how many similar were experienced by the Soviets/Russians whom beat us with the first success.

In decades to come, Soviet "firsts" would be fewer and between, and more importantly, increasingly on a lesser scale of tech and knowledge advance than most of those by the USA(West). However, one thing which the Sputnik and October 1957 underscore, is how the "Space Race" and eventual "Space Age" had it's start in late 1944 thru 1945, when the Allies 'raced' each other through falling German territory to be the first to gain the 'booty and loot' of advance and cutting edge technologies, devises, methods, and weapons that had be the result of the many Nazi German "Secret Projekts". while often seen as West versus East, there is a case that sometimes it was USA versus UK/Brit as well.

Speaking of American "German Rocket Scientists" we come to one of the best;
...
Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun (23 March 1912 – 16 June 1977) was a German-American aerospace engineer[3] and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and SS, as well as the leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany and a pioneer of rocket and space technology in the United States.[4]

While in his twenties and early thirties, von Braun worked in Nazi Germany's rocket development program. He helped design and co-developed the V-2 rocket at Peenemünde during World War II. Following the war, he was secretly moved to the United States, along with about 1,600 other German scientists, engineers, and technicians, as part of Operation Paperclip.[5] He worked for the United States Army on an intermediate-range ballistic missile program, and he developed the rockets that launched the United States' first space satellite Explorer 1 in 1958. He worked with Walt Disney on a series of films, which popularized the idea of human space travel in the US and beyond between 1955 and 1957.
...

Wernher von Braun - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

~~~~~~~~~~
That series of films starts with the first in 1955;
...
"Man in Space" is an episode of the American television series Disneyland which originally aired on March 9, 1955.[1] It was directed by Disney animator Ward Kimball. This Disneyland episode (set in Tomorrowland), was narrated partly by Kimball and also by such scientists Willy Ley,[2] Heinz Haber,[2] and Wernher von Braun;[2] as well as Dick Tufeld of Lost in Space fame.

The show begins with a brief, lighthearted history of rockets, then presents discussions of satellites, a practical look (through humorous animation) at what humans will have to face in space (both physically and psychologically, such as momentum, weightlessness, radiation, even space sickness) and an imaginary view of a rocket's takeoff into space. The next episodes in this series were "Man and the Moon" and "Mars and Beyond," airing in seasons 2 and 4, respectively.
...

Man in Space - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some selected images;

See more here;

Disney programs about men in space and space exploration at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

 

[Stryder50]

In my opinion, the "Space Age" ended when we abandoned human exploration and confined ourselves to low-Earth orbit. In that respect, it is synonymous with the "Space Race".

Yes, we have lots of satellites and we depend one them much more than we did in decades past. But, when it comes to humans in space, we are further behind than now than we were in the late 1960s.

Excuse my dispute that, but the "late 60's saw one or two Apollo Missions to the Moon and a total of about six men. (I'd have to check on how few more the Russians had.)
We saw a lot more in the 1970's with the last of the Apollo missions*, the setting of Skylab**, and the start-up of the Space Shuttle program***.

So we were further 'ahead' in the 1970s~@2011, than in the 1960s. Things have tapered off a bit since then, but ISS**** has kept a presence, even if in LEO. Thing is it is very pricey to go further and there are a few complications on top of expense, which I'm building towards in next post(s), but needed some background, foundation, and perspective, First!

* Apollo ran from 1961 to 1972, with the first crewed flight in 1968. ...
Kennedy's goal was accomplished on the Apollo 11 mission when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed their Apollo Lunar Module (LM) on July 20, 1969, and walked on the lunar surface, while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command and service module (CSM), and all three landed safely on Earth on July 24. Five subsequent Apollo missions also landed astronauts on the Moon, the last, Apollo 17, in December 1972. In these six spaceflights, twelve people walked on the Moon.
...

Apollo program - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

...
There were a few cancelled Apollo missions, even though reportedly the launchers and mission capsules were completed.

Canceled Apollo missions - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

~~~~~~~~
**
Skylab was the first United States space station, launched by NASA,[3] occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Major operations included an orbital workshop, a solar observatory, Earth observation, and hundreds of experiments.

Unable to be re-boosted by the Space Shuttle, which was not ready until 1981, Skylab's orbit eventually decayed, and it disintegrated in the atmosphere on July 11, 1979, scattering debris across the Indian Ocean and Western Australia.
...

Skylab - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***
The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011. Its official name, Space Transportation System (STS), was taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development.[1] It flew 135 missions and carried 355 astronauts from 16 countries, many on multiple trips.

The Space Shuttle—composed of an orbiter launched with two reusable solid rocket boosters and a disposable external fuel tank—carried up to eight astronauts and up to 50,000 lb (23,000 kg) of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). When its mission was complete, the orbiter would reenter the Earth's atmosphere and land like a glider at either the Kennedy Space Center or Edwards Air Force Base.

The Shuttle is the only winged crewed spacecraft to have achieved orbit and landing, and the first reusable crewed space vehicle that made multiple flights into orbit. [a] Its missions involved carrying large payloads to various orbits including the International Space Station (ISS), providing crew rotation for the space station, and performing service missions on the Hubble Space Telescope. The orbiter also recovered satellites and other payloads (e.g., from the ISS) from orbit and returned them to Earth, though its use in this capacity was rare. Each vehicle was designed with a projected lifespan of 100 launches, or 10 years' operational life. Original selling points on the shuttles were over 150 launches over a 15-year operational span with a 'launch per month' expected at the peak of the program, but extensive delays in the development of the International Space Station[2] never created such a peak demand for frequent flights.
...

Space Shuttle program - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
****
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).[7][8] The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements.[9] The station serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which scientific research is conducted in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields.[10][11][12] The ISS is suited for testing the spacecraft systems and equipment required for possible future long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars.[13]

The ISS programme evolved from the Space Station Freedom, a 1984 American proposal to construct a permanently manned Earth-orbiting station,[14] and the contemporaneous Soviet/Russian Mir-2 proposal from 1976 with similar aims. The ISS is the ninth space station to be inhabited by crews, following the Soviet and later Russian Salyut, Almaz, and Mir stations and the American Skylab. It is the largest artificial object in space and the largest satellite in low Earth orbit, regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth's surface.[15][16] It maintains an orbit with an average altitude of 400 kilometres (250 mi) by means of reboost manoeuvres using the engines of the Zvezda Service Module or visiting spacecraft.[17] The ISS circles the Earth in roughly 93 minutes, completing 15.5 orbits per day.[18]

The station is divided into two sections: the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) is operated by Russia, while the United States Orbital Segment (USOS) is run by the United States as well as by the other states. The Russian segment includes six modules. The US segment includes ten modules, whose support services are distributed 76.6% for NASA, 12.8% for JAXA, 8.3% for ESA and 2.3% for CSA.
...

International Space Station - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Stryder50]

In my opinion, the "Space Age" ended when we abandoned human exploration and confined ourselves to low-Earth orbit. In that respect, it is synonymous with the "Space Race".

Yes, we have lots of satellites and we depend one them much more than we did in decades past. But, when it comes to humans in space, we are further behind than now than we were in the late 1960s.

Here's my Part Two Response;
1) You are entitled to your opinion, but I think it is inaccurate and/or wrong.

As we humans worked through the 1960-1980s and our technologies and knowledge regards Outer Space, and our abilities and resources for working and living there expanded, we came to realize the methods to achieve our goals were becoming less human intensive and could be done for lower costs, material investment , and human power than had been expected in the previous decades.
Our tech and knowledge gains reduced the human "doing' load by replacing with one we now had machines which could do as if not more efficient and at lower costs.

2) There do remain uses and needs for humans in Outer Space, but once integrated with our newer and better tech, the issues are now ones of goals and resolve to apply such. Is humankind willing to invest the costs and resources to make use of the potential that we have in utilizing Outer Space for our future benefit, or will we be short sighted and penny wise while pound(dollar) foolish?

3) After a few decades plus, humanity is now at the point that if we are going to make further progress in Outer Space, we need to realize this means some major and large scale projects and applications that will require major investments and co-operations between private and public(guv'mint) sectors with an eye towards long term rewards/returns on investments of capital and labor.

4) I'm talking the equivalent of major "Public Works" Projects focused on off Earth mining and manufacturing to produce material resources for large scale production projects that will result in major restructure of Earth's power/energy sources~grid along with an inter-planetary/outer space resource-mining-refining-manufactures system requiring capital investment and labor training and off-planet living.

5) This will require a better system and effective way for the nations of Earth to exist in harmony and work co-cooperatively in goal of planet wide benefit.

6) Current situations and circumstances suggest this may not be so easy to effect and attain.

 

[Stryder50]

Before I can go further on the Future for Earth and Humanity, I need to step back a bit and cover some of the relavent past as suggested and hinted at in my few previous posts here, and show the further continuity and evolutions. Please bare with.

 

[Stryder50]

So far, I've covered much in regards to the post World War Two scramble by the Allies to cache' what they could of Nazi German 'advanced' tech/research/devices/weapons/etc.

WWII saw such rapid advance from left-over WWI tech to more modern and future tech within the scope of half-a-dozen years or so. Progress that might have taken a couple~few decades in peacetime achieved within less than a decade!

One of the more controversial consequences of War is that it is an accelerator of technological progress. Making instant incentive that otherwise might have been many years to a few decades to achieve.

In 1939 many Nations are still flying wood with fabric covered biplanes, piston and propeller powered at a couple of hundred miles per hour, MOST! ~ as major parts of their Air Forces. Six years later, they better be flying stressed metal skinned Jet powered aircraft flying 550-600+ mph or plan to be left in the dust tech and military capability wise!

So as we go to the next post, realize that we are looking at tech and abilities that seemed decades into the future when WWII started, but now, less than a decade later, they are on the near horizon of what seemed next century potential.

 

[sparky]

The space race ended when we humans no longer cared for mutual goals as a race

jmho

~S~

 

[Stryder50]

The post WWII political arena saw increasing areas for competition and concern between the West~USA/UK/Etc. vs. the East~USSR(Russia), and one expression was in the arena of increasing interest and capabilities in Outer Space. By a decade plus after the War, that was beginning to focus upon Earth's nearest neighbor, the Moon (Luna).

Could one consider the Moon the new "High Ground" and would a significant position on that body provide dominating placement in Earthly disputes/contests?

Hence part of the origin of what was know in the USA, as the (Secret) Project Horizon.
...
In May 1961, President John F Kennedy called for a NASA program to send a man to the Moon. But the US Army had already undertaken a classified feasibility study that was much more ambitious in scope than a mere Moon landing. Dubbed “Project HORIZON”, the Army’s plan called for a permanently-manned lunar outpost that would be powered by nuclear reactors and armed with spy cameras and nuclear weapons. By permanently occupying the Moon, and more importantly by getting there before the Soviets did, the US could lay claim to ownership, and controlling the Moon was seen as one of the vital keys to winning the Cold War. This declassified Project HORIZON report is a revealing look at the state of the technology available before the first human space flights, and how it was assumed they would develop over the short term. Many of the ideas first considered in this report have found their place in later space projects—including future Mars landings.
...
Amazon product ASIN 1610011139~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Project Horizon was a 1959 study to determine the feasibility of constructing a scientific / military base on the Moon, at a time when the U.S. Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, and Department of the Air Force had total responsibility for U.S. space program plans. On June 8, 1959, a group at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) produced for the Army a report titled Project Horizon, A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Military Outpost. The project proposal states the requirements as:

The lunar outpost is required to develop and protect potential United States interests on the moon; to develop techniques in moon-based surveillance of the earth and space, in communications relay, and in operations on the surface of the moon; to serve as a base for exploration of the moon, for further exploration into space and for military operations on the moon if required; and to support scientific investigations on the moon.[1]

The permanent outpost was predicted to be required for national security "as soon as possible", and to cost $6 billion. The projected operational date with twelve soldiers was December 1966.

Horizon never progressed past the feasibility stage, being rejected by President Dwight Eisenhower when primary responsibility for America's space program was transferred to the civilian agency NASA.
...

Project Horizon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Much of the basic plan and equipment for Horizon would be relabeled and re-marked for Apollo. Part of the initial 'sales pitch' for Apollo was that it would be the seed for later efforts and expense to establish a permanent base on the Moon - which would result in looking a lot like many of the ideas and concepts for Horizon.

Basically what had started as a military mission and project for a base on the Moon got re-branded and shifted into a "Peaceful and Scientific" undertaking by the newly created NASA.

 

[Stryder50]

The space race ended when we humans no longer cared for mutual goals as a race

jmho

~S~

I doubt we humans have ever cared for "mutual goals as a race".
The post World War planet with a United Nations and efforts for international harmony may have been setting the stage for such, but still a high hurdle to humans to jointly leap over. The "Space Race/Space Age" was seen as a device for such harmony and joint efforts. Perhaps a bit too soon given our histories.

 

[Stryder50]

One major "mutual goal" would be our planets' energy sources and how to provide for the needs of all the cultures/civilizations/nations on our world.

Given the huge volume put out by our star~Sun/Sol, it would seem there is potential for "no problem". But how to efficiently 'capture' such and distribute to all on the surface whom need and could use it?

One idea present about 50+ years ago was the use of orbital solar collector power stations. For optimal efficiency they should be parked in GEO (Geo-synchronous Earth Orbit), about 24,000 mile out and in permanent "lock-step" over a part of the Earth where they could "beam down" the solar energy they have collected. One method proposed would be to convert that solar panel array electrical energy into microwaves, then bem such down to Earth's surface to be collected by huge receive antennae systems that would reconvert to electricity and pump into the connected grid.

This is a rather huge project in terms of capital and labor as well as the devices from orbital solar panel arrays to receiving antennae to networking into a surface electrical grid. Most plans on how to make this work, and happen, involve a blend of public(Guv'mint) and Private(investors) to produce and organize the making/manufacture of the many large components and and the infrastructure of the Earth surface grid.

The main and basic concept involves human habitat upon the Moon/Luna surface in self-supporting colonies(cities) from which come the workers and their devices to mine, refine, and do most basic manufacture of components, that will then be launched out to GEO for assembly into large Orbital Solar Panel Array Stations.

Meanwhile there will be similar large construction efforts on Earth's surface to make and assembly the receiving antennae and conversion stations.

Implied in all this would be a huge inter-planetary~outer space transport system of vessels(space ships) and also orbital stations/cities where refining and/or manufacturing might occur, where such doesn't happen already on the Moon/Luna surface.

Some of the preliminary ideas and schemes were provided in;

The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space - Wikipedia​

The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space: Apogee Books Space Se​

Images page;

the high frontier- o'neil at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

AND

Colonies in Space, by T. A. Heppenheimer​

Colonies in Space: T. A Heppenheimer, Ray Bradbury: 9780811703970​

Images page;

colonies in space heppenheimer at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

 

[whitehall]

Barry Hussein grounded the Space Shuttle program and put NASA to work as a propaganda source for global warming.

 

[Zincwarrior]

It turns out space is boring AND expensive.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

It turns out space is boring AND expensive.

Plus.....no one can hear you scream.

 

[Mushroom]

Yes, we have lots of satellites and we depend one them much more than we did in decades past. But, when it comes to humans in space, we are further behind than now than we were in the late 1960s.

Not really, because we have already been there and done that. We have shown we can get to the moon, and with our robotic craft can pretty much reach any planet in the Sol System.

The ISS and other space labs and stations have all been laying the groundwork on the next phase, which is how to live and work in space. For Apollo and all the other missions, they had to take everything with them. In fact, the record for longest space flight without docking with a station is still only 17 days (Soyuz 9 and STS-80 hold records within 2 hours of each other in duration). We have shown we can inhabit a station almost indefinitely, which is going to be key for space flights of longer duration than just going to the moon, and for more than just spending a couple of days there then returning.

Over the last 4 decades we have learned a lot of the skills needed for that next step, something that could not have happened decades ago.

When the explosion on Apollo 13 happened, they were only planning on a lunar landing. Therefore, they had nothing on board to do a space walk. They did not have the EVA suits that would have been used, and none of the umbilicals and tethers aboard to do one (let alone tools and parts to fix something). And not enough supplies on board to do one, as that would have meant evacuating the air from the capsule and there was not enough on board to replace it. That is just one of the things that can not be done in future flights to the moon and beyond.

A hell of a lot of work has gone into not only EVA capabilities, but also actually fixing things in space. And how to remain in space for extended periods of time with minimal supplies from the surface. All of that will be critical for long term missions outside of the orbit of the Earth.

You see farther behind, but I see the exact opposite. 40 years ago, the crew were little more than passengers. That did nothing outside of what they were told before lift-off.

 

[Zincwarrior]

Plus.....no one can hear you scream.

Thats a bonus!

 

[Stryder50]

The post WWII political arena saw increasing areas for competition and concern between the West~USA/UK/Etc. vs. the East~USSR(Russia), and one expression was in the arena of increasing interest and capabilities in Outer Space. By a decade plus after the War, that was beginning to focus upon Earth's nearest neighbor, the Moon (Luna).

Could one consider the Moon the new "High Ground" and would a significant position on that body provide dominating placement in Earthly disputes/contests?

Hence part of the origin of what was know in the USA, as the (Secret) Project Horizon.
...
In May 1961, President John F Kennedy called for a NASA program to send a man to the Moon. But the US Army had already undertaken a classified feasibility study that was much more ambitious in scope than a mere Moon landing. Dubbed “Project HORIZON”, the Army’s plan called for a permanently-manned lunar outpost that would be powered by nuclear reactors and armed with spy cameras and nuclear weapons. By permanently occupying the Moon, and more importantly by getting there before the Soviets did, the US could lay claim to ownership, and controlling the Moon was seen as one of the vital keys to winning the Cold War. This declassified Project HORIZON report is a revealing look at the state of the technology available before the first human space flights, and how it was assumed they would develop over the short term. Many of the ideas first considered in this report have found their place in later space projects—including future Mars landings.
...
Amazon product ASIN 1610011139~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Project Horizon was a 1959 study to determine the feasibility of constructing a scientific / military base on the Moon, at a time when the U.S. Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, and Department of the Air Force had total responsibility for U.S. space program plans. On June 8, 1959, a group at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) produced for the Army a report titled Project Horizon, A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Military Outpost. The project proposal states the requirements as:




The permanent outpost was predicted to be required for national security "as soon as possible", and to cost $6 billion. The projected operational date with twelve soldiers was December 1966.

Horizon never progressed past the feasibility stage, being rejected by President Dwight Eisenhower when primary responsibility for America's space program was transferred to the civilian agency NASA.
...

Project Horizon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Much of the basic plan and equipment for Horizon would be relabeled and re-marked for Apollo. Part of the initial 'sales pitch' for Apollo was that it would be the seed for later efforts and expense to establish a permanent base on the Moon - which would result in looking a lot like many of the ideas and concepts for Horizon.

Basically what had started as a military mission and project for a base on the Moon got re-branded and shifted into a "Peaceful and Scientific" undertaking by the newly created NASA.

A bit more on Project Horizon since it appears to be instrumental, yet little known component of the USA Space Programs.

Project Horizon: Army Base on the Moon
The Army's quest for the highest high ground was a project whose time never came
...
The Army also proposed that a “unified space command” be created to control the lunar base and “that portion of outer space encompassing the earth and the moon.” There seems little doubt that the Army leaders who pushed Project Horizon saw an Army general as the perfect choice to lead such a unified command.
...
The proponents of Project Horizon argued that America’s ultimate goal on the moon should be to deploy moon-based weapons systems. Why? Because moon-based military power would be a strong deterrent to war since an enemy would have great difficulty in preventing U.S. retaliation. This was because the enemy – read the Soviet Union – would have a hard time reaching the moon and, if American forces were already present, they could counter or neutralize any hostile force that might land. This, of course, was also the reason that American military forces must reach the moon first, and establish a military outpost, since the enemy could counter any U.S. attempt to land on the moon “if hostile forces were permitted to arrive first.”
...
The Army officers working on Project Horizon concluded that the United States could establish “an operations lunar outpost by late 1966,” assuming that “initial manned landings” took place in the spring of 1965.


So what happened to Project Horizon, and the Army’s plan to have a manned lunar outpost?

• First of all, the technological challenges were more difficult than the authors of Project Horizon had thought – and also considerably more expensive. A Manhattan Project-scale effort might have worked, but it would have required a huge increase in the U.S. government’s expenditures on defense and, as the alarm over Sputnik dissipated, there seems to have been diminishing political interest in funding a military base on the moon.
• Second, the expansion of the war in Vietnam also siphoned off energy – and money – that might have gone to Project Horizon.
• Finally, and most importantly, any future American military presence on the moon became an impossibility when the United States, Soviet Union and United Kingdom signed an outer space treaty in 1967.

Known formally as the “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies,” this international agreement limited the use of the moon to peaceful purposes. In short, the militarization of the moon was no longer an option – and remains an impossibility since this international treaty is still in effect.
...

Project Horizon: Army Base on the Moon | Defense Media Network

Project Horizon was a Cold War proposal to build an Army base on the moon.

www.defensemedianetwork.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note that the "outer space treaty" of 1967 also blocked ownership claims to the Moon, other planets, and other bodies in space, IIRC. A large disincentive for private investments in some potential projects.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also;

https://www.history.army.mil/faq/horizon/Horizon_V1.pdf

..........

https://www.army.mil/article/189129/smdc_history_project_horizon_abma_explores_a_lunar_outpost

...

Project Horizon - The Black Vault​

US Army Project Horizon Vol2 - [PDF Document] (298 pgs)​

Moon Base - Projekt Horizon - Apollo11Space​

Project Horizon | Military Wiki | Fandom​

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IMAGES:

 

[Stryder50]

Interestingly, though "Project Horizon" likely was still classified at the time, Heinlein's sci-fi novel of 1966, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", presents some of the military aspects of habitation on the Moon.
...

Plot​

In 2075, the Moon (Luna) is used as a penal colony by Earth's government, with three million inhabitants (called "Loonies") living in underground cities. Most Loonies are criminals, political exiles, or their descendants, and men outnumber women two to one, so that polyandry and many forms of polygamy are the norm. Due to the low surface gravity of the Moon, people who stay longer than six months undergo "irreversible physiological changes" and can never again live comfortably under Earth gravity, making escape back to the planet impractical.

Although the Earth-appointed "Warden" holds power through the Lunar Authority, his only real responsibility is to ensure the delivery of vital wheat shipments to Earth. In practice he seldom intervenes among the prisoners, allowing a virtually anarchist or self-regulated society.

Lunar infrastructure and machinery is largely managed by HOLMES IV ("High-Optional, Logical, Multi-Evaluating Supervisor, Mark IV"), the Lunar Authority's master computer, which is connected for central control on the grounds that a single computer is cheaper than (though not as safe as) multiple independent systems.[5]

The story is narrated by Manuel Garcia "Mannie" O'Kelly-Davis, a computer technician who discovers that HOLMES IV has achieved self-awareness and developed a sense of humor. Mannie names it "Mike" after the fictional character Mycroft Holmes, brother of the fictional Sherlock Holmes detective character, and they become friends.[6]
...
Earth still refuses to recognize Lunar independence, and the revolutionaries deploy their catapult weapon. When Mike launches rocks at sparsely populated locations on Earth, warnings are released to the press detailing the times and locations of the bombings, which deliver kinetic energy equivalent to atomic blasts.
...

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

^^^
One example of the Moon as a military useful base.
~~~~~~~~~~
Summary

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a science fiction novel by Robert Heinlein and published in 1966. Set in 2075, the novel follows the events of a rebellion and eventual revolution that takes place at the human penal colony on the moon. The story is narrated by a computer technician-Mannie-who discovers that the moon colony's central computer has gained self-awareness. The novel fully explores the various political, social, and military aspects of an earth-moon conflict, but, like much of Heinlein's writing, the novel is also a vehicle for the exploration of Heinlein's own philosophies. Discussions and descriptions of polygamy, the role of law in society, and frontier libertarianism are as significant to the makeup of the novel as plot and characters. Along with Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, Heinlein is recognized as one of the authors responsible for bringing science fiction into mainstream culture. The novel won a Hugo Award for best science fiction novel in 1967.

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress: Study Guide | SparkNotes

Read a summary of The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein .

www.sparknotes.com

 

[Stryder50]

The Outer Space Treaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a multilateral treaty that forms the basis of international space law. Negotiated and drafted under the auspices of the United Nations, it was opened for signature in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union on 27 January 1967, entering into force on 10 October 1967. As of February 2021, 111 countries are parties to the treaty—including all major spacefaring nations—and another 23 are signatories.[1][5][6]
...
Key provisions of the Outer Space Treaty include prohibiting nuclear weapons in space; limiting the use of the Moon and all other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes; establishing that space shall be freely explored and used by all nations; and precluding any country from claiming sovereignty over outer space or any celestial body. Although it forbids establishing military bases, testing weapons and conducting military maneuvers on celestial bodies, the treaty does not expressly ban all military activities in space, nor the establishment of military space forces or the placement of conventional weapons in space.[9][10] From 1968 to 1984, the OST birthed four additional agreements: rules for activities on the Moon; liability for damages caused by spacecraft; the safe return of fallen astronauts; and the registration of space vehicles.[11]
...

Outer Space Treaty - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Outer Space Treaty of 1967 - NASA​

Outer Space Treaty | 1967 | Britannica​

Outer Space Treaty - U.S. Department of State​

 

[Mushroom]

Key provisions of the Outer Space Treaty include prohibiting nuclear weapons in space

Actually, the treaty does not prohibit "nuclear weapons", what it prohibits is "weapons of mass destruction".

That does indeed include nuclear weapons. But also includes things like the use of space for distributing chemical and biological weapons, as well as any other weapons that fit that category.

Including the fantasy based "Rods of God" that some keep trying to insist have been in orbit and ready to use for decades.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Including the fantasy based "Rods of God" that some keep trying to insist have been in orbit and ready to use for decades.

How are those "weapons of mass destruction"?