America's Space Sentinels DSP Satellites and National Security Jeffrey T. Richelson NEW IN PAPERBACK: March 2001 xx, 330 pages, 24 illustrations, 6 x 9 Modern War Studies Paper ISBN 978-0-7006-1096-9, $17.95 Also available in cloth ISBN 978-0-7006-0942-0, $35.00 WINNER OF THE EUGENE M. EMME ASTRONAUTICAL LITERATURE AWARD GIVEN BY THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY During much of the Cold War, America's first line of defense was in outer space: a network of secret satellites that could provide instant warning of an enemy missile launch. The presence of these infrared sensors orbiting 22,000 miles above the earth discouraged a Soviet first strike and stabilized international relations between the superpowers, and they now play a crucial role in monitoring the missile programs of China, India, and other emerging nuclear powers. Jeffrey Richelson has written the first comprehensive history of this vital program, tracing its evolution from the late 1950s to the present. He puts Defense Support Program operations in the context of world events-from Russian missile programs to the Gulf War--and explains how DSP's infrared sensors are used to detect meteorites, monitor forest fires, and even gather industrial intelligence by "seeing" the lights of steel mills. These satellites, reveals Richelson, detected Iran's test firing of a new missile in 1998 and even provided clues to the cause of the TWA 800 disaster. Drawing on many previously classified documents and on interviews with key participants, Richelson provides a wealth of new information: the use of DSP for detecting intermediate-range missiles, false alarms generated following the attempted assassination of President Reagan, the controversial U.S.–Australian DSP partnership, and the role of DSP in Desert Storm. He describes the Slow Walker and Fast Walker programs used to detect aircraft for the U.S. Navy and spacecraft for the Air Force Space Command. And he offers insights into the controversy over what kind of system will eventually replace DSP. No other book covers the story of these eyes in the sky in such absorbing detail. America's Space Sentinels is a groundbreaking account of a little-known program that has well served our defense needs and continues to keep a steadying watch on the world. It enhances our understanding of America's strategic position during the Cold War and the program's capacity to respond to missile conflicts in the next century. "From the beginning with the MIDAS (missile defense alarm system) program to the present-day DSP (defense support program) system, Richelson provides a wealth of new information. He puts DSP operations in the context of world events--from Russian missile programs to the Gulf War--and explains how DSP's infrared sensors are used to detect meteorites, monitor forest fires, and even gather industrial intelligence. . . . [Should] attract a diverse readership among those interested in Cold War and diplomatic history, national security issues, and the aerospace industry."--Journal of American History "An especially important and welcome addition to the literature of the military space program. Should be required reading for all who are interested in the strategic defense of the United States in the nuclear era."--Roger D. Launius, NASA Chief Historian, in the Journal of Military History "Highly recommended."--The Intelligencer "Richelson's outstanding study merits a wide readership and is highly recommended. All levels."--Choice "This is far and away the most comprehensive account of the MIDAS/DSP program that exists--and I can't imagine it will be superseded soon. It will certainly become the book on the subject of early warning satellites." --Gregg Herken, author of Cardinal Choices: Presidential Science Advising from the Atomic Bomb to SDI "A fascinating report on a little-known type of military satellite that still has a vitally important ongoing mission to deter ballistic missile attacks by 'rogue states' against the United States and its allies."--Philip J. Klass, author of Secret Sentries in Space and former senior editor of Aviation Week & Space Technology "A very significant contribution in the field of intelligence studies that should attract a diverse readership among persons interested in Cold War and diplomatic history, national security issues, and the aerospace industry."--John Prados, author of Presidents' Secret Wars "The definitive account, providing extraordinary details of the satellites and their ground control stations, as well as the bureaucratic politics that have shaped the development of the system."--Desmond Ball, author of The Transformation of Security of the Asia-Pacific Region "Richelson knows more about these satellites than anyone outside the U.S. government--and probably more than most inside the U.S. intelligence community as well."--Robert Windrem, NBC Nightly News JEFFREY T. RICHELSON is a senior fellow with the National Security Archive. Among his numerous other books are America's Secret Eyes in Space: The U.S. Keyhole Spy Satellite Program, A Century of Spies: Intelligence in the Twentieth Century, and The U.S. Intelligence Community.   Home | About the Press | Recent Awards | Contact Us | Order New Books: | By Author | By Subject | By Title | By Series Books in Print: | By Author | By Subject | By Title | By Series ©2007 University Press of Kansas 2502 Westbrooke Circle, Lawrence, KS 66045-4444 Phone (785) 864-4155; Fax (785) 864-4586