Space marine

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Space marines are fictional soldiers that operate in outer space. Space marines are common in military science fiction-themed action movies and action games. The concept of mechanized Space Marines originated in the stories and books of Robert A. Heinlein, appearing as early as his "Space Cadet" and "The Long Watch" in the late 1940s and given center stage in his novel Starship Troopers (where they were called the Mobile Infantry). The concept was popularized by the ceramite-armoured, bolter-wielding crusading Space Marines of Warhammer 40,000. Commonalities in the various descriptions of Space marines include futuristic weapons and use as infantry in attacks on planets or boarding actions on Space Stations from spacecraft.

Space-based marines are also featured prominently in "Aliens", in which a group of marines are deployed to clear out a human colony infested with aggressive extraterrestrials. They are equipped with advanced weaponry as well as advanced communications and detection equipment.

The Halo games and novel series also include space marines, the appearance of which are very similar to those of "Aliens," in armor, speech patterns, and vehicle design. These Halo marines serve as non-player ground support in the game. Their effectiveness in this capacity varies in proportion with difficulty level.

"Space Marine" is currently a trademark owned by Games Workshop for their table-top game Warhammer 40,000.

Not so fictional, however, is the United States Marine Corps's desire to expand into space. Project Hot Eagle considers the use of spacecraft to deliver marines to a target on the ground. "Within minutes of bursting into the atmosphere beyond the speed of sound – and dispatching that ominous sonic boom – a small squad of Marines could be on the ground and ready to take care of business within 2 hours."<ref>Marines in Spaaaaaace!. Defence Tech.org (September 19, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.</ref>