U.S. Eyes Space as Possible Battleground

[shawn703]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites)'s plan to expand the exploration of space parallels U.S. efforts to control the heavens for military, economic and strategic gain.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld long has pushed for technology that could be used to attack or defend orbiting satellites as well as a costly program, heavily reliant on space-based sensors, to thwart incoming warheads.

Under a 1996 space policy adopted by then-President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) that remains in effect, the United States is committed to the exploration and use of outer space "by all nations for peaceful purposes for the benefit of all humanity."

"Peaceful purposes allow defense and intelligence-related activities in pursuit of national security and other goals," according to this policy. "Consistent with treaty obligations, the United States will develop, operate and maintain space control capabilities to ensure freedom of action in space, and if directed, deny such freedom of action to adversaries."


more...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=1&u=/nm/20040118/sc_nm/space_weapons_dc

[DBoon]

1. US pursues a policy of "negation" in space

See May 2003 EE Times

http://www.eetimes.com/sys/news/OEG20030522S0050

Quote:

The nation's largest intelligence agency by budget and in control of all U.S. spy satellites, NRO is talking openly with the U.S. Air Force Space Command about actively denying the use of space for intelligence purposes to any other nation at any time—not just adversaries, but even longtime allies
...
If allies don't like the new paradigm of space dominance, said Air Force secretary James Roche, they'll just have to learn to accept it

[kitkatrose]

2. How in the hell do you deny the use of space to anyone?

Shoot down their fucking satellites? Blow away their goddamned space centers or whatever they use for such purposes? This just gets more ridiculous as time goes by.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

4. Deterrence is a powerful tool to prevent other moonbases

and yes, Cheney has said that we need to eliminate the enemy satellites, although it sounds like they just want to do a general orbital housekeeping.

I used to sit alert with SAC, and we counted on that 40 minutes from launch detection to impact that it took an ICBM to get from the USSR to the USA. Knowing that we could retaliate (MAD) kept the Cold War cold. BTW, that's one reason missile-equipped subs are so worrisome.

Now, think about putting a nuke missile in low orbit -- 250 miles -- and launch it at someone who pisses you off. What's the flight time? Ninety seconds?

We've got an administration who has radically changed our military doctrine to one of "we'll attack anyone, anywhere, at anytime, for any reason -- or no reason at all."

Space is the High Frontier.

[daleo]

3. Article talks about the value of lunar Helium 3 and fusion reactors

As if developing the fusion reactors were some sort of trivial side problem. They claim that there is 4 trillion dollars worth of Helium 3 on the moon that could power the earth for centuries, etc.

If such reactors are eventually designed and proven, then the lunar stuff might make sense, but lets not put the cart before the horse. This is all jabber to make *'s lunar raving seem rational.

[Dudley_DUright]

5. Besides, He-3 is not geologically (lunarogically?) concentrated

but instead uniformly spread over the surface of the moon. It is economically ridiculous to try to mine He-3 on the Moon. I for one don't want to see massive strip mines on the Moon, even though I am sure Bushco would love it. The following article outlines the basic problems:

<snip>

Indeed for now, the economics of extracting and transporting helium 3 from the moon are also problematic. Even if scientists solved the physics of helium 3 fusion, "it would be economically unfeasible," asserted Jim Benson, chairman of SpaceDev in Poway, California, which strives to be one of the first commercial space-exploration companies. "Unless I'm mistaken, you'd have to strip-mine large surfaces of the moon."

While it's true that to produce roughly 70 tons of helium 3, for example, a million tons of lunar soil would need to be heated to 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit (800 degrees Celsius) to liberate the gas, proponents say lunar strip mining is not the goal. "There's enough in the Mare Tranquillitatis alone to last for several hundred years," Schmitt said. The moon would be a stepping stone to other helium 3-rich sources, such as the atmospheres of Saturn and Uranus.

<snip>

more...

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/helium3_000630.html

[54anickel]

8. Well, Cheney did say "deficits don't matter". Scary stuff. n/t

[bubba_fett]

6. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.

This should come as no surprise to anyone who's been following the pnac's outline for a new America (no link right now, but you should all be able to find it).

You know the document, written by Cheney, Rumsfeld and their buddies before Bush was pushed into office. The same document which states that the US needed a war in Iraq, a "pearl harbor" like disaster that brings Americans together, and also stated that we should expand our influence into space and onto moon bases.

A new American century of imperialism, how great.

[jpgray]

7. I really, REALLY, *REALLY* hate the idea of militarized space

We kill enough people and waste enough resources on this as it is.

[devinsgram]

11. If we can't get it right down here,

How are we going to get right up there. Doesn't make sense.

[bobthedrummer]

12. Down here only Dennis Kucinich has worked to keep weapons

out of space with HR 3616 The Space Preservation Act of 2002.
But that Act is the revision of HR 2977 The Space Preservation Act of 2001, which lost the entire "exotic weapons" portion of text.
Don't forget, Dennis sits on the House Intelligence panel, perhaps he was too forthcoming about the "mind control" and other systems described IMO.
http://www.raven1.net/govptron.htm

[jpgray]

14. Yes, Kucinich is the best on the bloated defense budget. (nt)

[RichV]

9. Fire up my X-Wing

I'm ready to take out some space terrorists! Huzzah!

[grilled onions]

10. Their biggest fear,,,

is running out of people and places to start a war at/with. It's so important to be able to continue their madness beyond the borders of the planet. It's so apt they put LUNACY into their LUNAR plans. Space aliens be on alert. The fix is in and occupation of YOUR world will soon begin!

[Aristus]

13. Yet another treaty in the crapper.

This time it's the 1967 Peace in Space Treaty. Grr. Bush, with his obesssion with abrogating effective peace treaties, reveals yet again his similarities to Hitler. Hitler had a mouth-foaming, murderous obsession with the Treaty of Versailles.

[loudnclear]

15. Is there any place the neocons won't go to start a war?

A vote for Bush is a vote for war and now it will be a war in space.

Your tax dollars at waste!

[teknomanzer]

16. Hence Shrub's plan...

to spend a crapload of money we don't have on sending people to the moon and Mars. Shameless bastards. They must be stopped!