Here come the Orbiting Mind Control Lasers....

[Pangloss]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/18/business/18space.html?hp

 

Apparently the US Air Force is asking for a Presidential National Security Directive to develop satellite weaponry which could be used to take out satellites of other countries.

 

Weapons in space time. I dunno, I guess I can understand both sides of it, but it does seem like it will guarantee a space weapons race, whereas before we at least had a chance to prevent it.

[bascule]

Isn't this what MIRACL (a terrestrial megawatt laser) was for anyway? Perhaps the Air Force just has penis envy of the Navy

[-Demosthenes-]

Reminds me of "Star Wars" with Reagon.

[Phi for All]

The mission will require new weapons, new space satellites, new ways of doing battle and, by some estimates, hundreds of billions of dollars.

No unemployment for arms dealers.

 

Yay.

[husmusen]

The mission will require new weapons, new space satellites, new ways of doing battle and, by some estimates, hundreds of billions of dollars.

 

Which given that there is no real threat of space being conquered,

or Osama bin Laden getting some kind of space program up is all

utterly unnescessary.

 

So that's hundreds of billions of dollars that could have been spent

on childrens health and nutrition, research towards a cure for dementia,

a cure for (the most common) cancers. Or novel means of peaceful conflict resolution.

 

Personally I reckon the above would be a better use of it.

 

Cheers.

 

On a more serious note I suspect that the U.S. realises the strategic

niceties of being able to take out a competitors comms satelites or

better yet the credible threat to do so.

 

I also think the Europeans are not blind to this, and will develop counter

measures. The Chinese will either develop it, buy it, or steal it, and they'll

sell to everyone else.

 

So in the end a new stalemate results and 100's of Billions go

down the shitter.

[Phi for All]

I also think the Europeans are not blind to this' date=' and will develop counter

measures. The Chinese will either develop it, buy it, or steal it, and they'll

sell to everyone else.[/quote']Indeed, and I'll bet this is mostly because of the threat of China overtaking our position in the world economy in the next decade or two.

[reverse]

Starbucks and McDonalds have already taken over,

Nations are so yesterday.

Corporations are the new dynasties.

 

Yay!

[YT2095]

Hmm, Navy(US)... Lasers...

 

SWANSONT you sly devil!

 

 

http://www.scienceforums.net/forums/showthread.php?t=11179