Trump’s US Space Force has deployed its first troops – but not where you’d expect
THE US Space Force has officially deployed its first troops.
The 20 airmen haven't been sent to the Moon though, just to the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
The airmen went to the Middle East at the start of the month to join the US military’s newest independent arm of service.
They were welcomed with a cermony.
US Air Force colonel Todd Benson, director of Space Forces for US Air Forces Central Command, said in a statement: "This group is making history.
"Those participating in today’s ceremony are not only joining our nation’s newest service, they are joining this service while deployed in defense of our nation.
"In other words, they are the first members of the United States Space Force to be deployed in support of combat operations."
The new Space Force team will now conduct tasks like reporting interference with US satellites.
They will wear a brand new uniform that has a woodland camouflage pattern.
Benson added: "For our nation, we must not just be present in space, but we must be a leader in space.
"US Space Command and US Space Force will play a critical role in protecting our Nation’s vital interests in space."
The Space Force was officially established in December and is the first new military service since the Air Force launched in 1947.
The 16,000 airmen and civilians that make up the Space Force are technically part of the Air Force — which previously oversaw offensive operations in space.
But has made it clear he sees the newest service as critical to the future of American defense.
Terrifying space weapons of the future
Here are three of the scariest...
Rods from God
- A strange but utterly terrifying weapon has been dubbed "rods from the God" and is based on the concept of creating man-made meteorites that can be guided towards the enemy.
- Instead of using rocks rods the size of telephone poles are deployed.
- These would be made out of tungsten — a rare metal that can stand the intense heat generated by entering Earth's atmosphere.
- One satellite fires the rods towards the Earth's atmosphere while the other steers them to a target on the ground.
- Reaching speeds of 7000mph they hit the ground with the force of a small nuclear weapon — but crucially creating no radiation fall out.
- As bizarre as it sounds, a US Congressional report recently revealed the military has been pushing ahead with the kinetic space weapons.
Molten metal cannons
- This intriguing idea is being developed by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
- It is called the Magneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munition or MAHEM.
- This game changing rail-gun can fire a jet of molten metal, hurled through space at several hundred miles per second by the most powerful electromagnets ever built.
- The molten metal can then morph into an aerodynamic slug during flight and pierce through another spacecraft or satellite and a munition explodes inside.
Space force ships
- Already the United States is powering head with its spacecraft, although China is busy developing one of their own.
- The top secret American XS-1 under development by DARPA.
- It can travel ten times the speed of sound and launch missiles.
- Meanwhile an unmanned craft is currently being developed in the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre in Mianyang, Sichuan province, which is also known as Base 29.
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In other space news, a huge asteroid is set to make a close approach to Earth next week.
Nasa has revealed an amazing snapshot of a supernova blast wave.
And, wormholes that let humans travel through space and time could be possible, scientists have proposed.
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