Space Military

Had Barry Goldwater won the presidency in 1964, things might've been a lot different. For one thing, the government might have handed over NASA to military control . "I am convinced that it is man's destiny to enter space, and that he who controls the open space around us is in a position to control the earth," the Republican senator from Arizona said.Goldwater lost by a landslide, and thus the real life possibilities for Starship Troopers thus came to a close. But as the Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory proves, Goldwater was far from the first—or the last—to call for a military presence in space.And don't forget, the military is still up in space. No conspiracy theorist worth his weight in foil could let you forget the X-37—the unmanned, secretive Department of Defense shuttle program. The X-37B is on its third mission, and a larger craft is planned that could potentially have an astronaut (or space marine) aboard.