Beyond Horizons: A Half Century of Air Force Space Leadership

Beyond Horizons: A Half Century of Air Force Space Leadership  is a study  of the United States Air Force in space. Of all the military services, the Air Force has been preeminently involved for the past fifty years in initiating, developing, and applying the technology of space-based systems in support of the nation's national security. Yet there has been no single-volume overview of the Air Force space story to serve as an introduction and guide for interested readers.

This book tells the story of the origins and development of the United States Air Force's space program from its earliest beginnings in the post Second World War period to its emergence as a critical operational presence in the Persian Gulf War.

In this book, the author embarks on a study of the Air Force’s long involvement in initiating, developing, and applying the technology of space-based systems in support of the nation’s security. His analysis ranges from America's space and missile efforts prior to the launch of the Soviet sputniks in 1957, right up to the coming of age of military space employment in the Persian Gulf War of 1991.

The author offers an assessment of the Air Force's leadership position in the ongoing debate over service roles and missions and its vision for the nation's space program entering the new century.