Members of the US House Armed Services Committee have voted to create a "Space Corps," a sixth branch of the country's armed forces focused on military maneuvers beyond the Earth's atmosphere. The space corps, which has yet to gain full approval, would absorb all of the Air Force's current space missions under the umbrella of a new US Space Command. It would also make the head of the new service the eighth member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The plan, which could be implemented as soon as January 2019, has been developed as part of a radical reorganization of the US Air Force. Several members of the congressional committee claimed to be blindsided by the proposal, and attempted to slow down the changes until they heard testimony from US Defense Secretary James Mattis. The challenge was later dropped, however. Michael Turner (R-Ohio) said