War in Space
Space has always been a place to show off military might. This concept, from a 1960 design by the U.S. Air Force, was intended to test the usefulness of reconnaissance in space.
Crews would be launched to this station in a Gemini B spacecraft, spend a month in orbit spying on enemy territories, and then return to Earth. Early designs called for the station to launch on Dec. 15, 1969, though this was pushed back to the fall of 1971.
The program was ultimately canceled when it was shown that unmanned reconnaissance satellites could achieve the same objectives for far less money.
