[World Building] A Future History of Space Force

[Polydamas]

Since manned spaceflight has always been tied up with nationalism, and military officers have always been a heavy share of US astronauts, it seems like one possibility would be one where US manned spaceflight militarizes, and the 'civilian'/'military' divide becomes less and less clear. This would also create sources of dramatic tension within a crew out of 1950s science fiction and later technothrillers.

Remember the Kzinti Lesson and the "space junk as its weight in dynamite" principle (or recent events at launch sites in TX). A powerful spacecraft does not need purpose-build weapons to be destructive!

It might be looking into how the Space Shuttle was designed to launch secret satellites for three-letter agencies (did those missions have crew with specific qualifications?), and if there is any imaginable spy equipment which you might want far enough out that the powers that be want to send it out with a babysitter or on a purely military vessel.