Posted on 07/07/2006 5:03:01 AM PDT by edpc
TENSIONS IN the United Nations over space-based weapons ran to new heights recently when the United States delivered a hard-line statement on its right to develop such weapons.
Responding to repeated and increased international pressure in recent weeks, John Mohanco, US deputy director of the Office of Multilateral Nuclear and Security Affairs, said ``our government will continue to consider the possible role that space-related weapons may play in protecting our [space] assets."
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
As long as Achilles keeps it away from his heel, there's no problem. People like this author were also the ones telling us SDI was a bad idea. It's a good thing we ignore them....just as we should continue doing.
The first nation with a working battle station in orbit with particle beam and laser weapons pretty much will be in control for, say 1000 years. Whose flag would you like to be painted on it?
How would it be a bad idea? Not many other countries are even close to duplicating it.
No kidding.....get there first and dominate.
We've already done this. Moreover, GPS, comsats, and reconnaissance assets all orbit at varying altitudes and inclinations. We have as distributed a space architecture as is technically possible.
What we really need is better situational awareness in space -- who else is up there, where they are and what they are doing in both space and time. This need preceeds space-based (or even ground-based) weaponry. But to unilaterally give away our option to deploy space weapons would be foolish beyond measure. Needless to say, that's exactly what a Democrat administration would do.
I am happy to say that we have already been there and done that. There is a wide ground-based network of telescopes to monitor orbital space. In fact, there is a new, open, program in the works to place cameras on satellites to scan orbital space.
This may piss off all you "one-worlders",but lets declare space off limits to any type of weapons except our own and have done with it.
Everyone else can just pound sand.
Ground-based assets work fine for low Earth orbit, but a lot of important satellites are much higher, in the space between Earth and Moon. We need space-based monitoring (and ultimately, access) to those higher orbits.
Odd how those that wistfully declare "weapons and war should be kept out of the heavens" usually don't have any faith in God or the concept of Heaven.
Shirley ,you jest.
He helps those who helps themselves.
You can co-exist with Al Queda satellites in another universe...we will do otherwise.
N. Korea's missile escapade should show the world we need space based defense systems. We can hardly depend on the impotent UN to do anything to protect us.
Excellent point. My first thought when I heard China announce it's aggressive plan to go to the moon was that they would be wanting to militarize it. I'm certain that is what is driving our own return more than using it as a jumping off point to go to Mars.
Well said. Knowledge of what is in space is key. And controlling space is also critical. If we have the ability to determine who can put systems in space, we can prevent the nutjobs like Iran, Korea, etc. from threatening us from space.
SDI type weapons in space are purely defensive. Your not going to take out cities or kill millions of people with a space based laser (death star advocates aside).
>> I suspect there may be other reasons for developing space based weapons <<
And what may they be????
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.