Militarization of space...In the Star Wars movies, the Death Star is the ultimate space-based superweapon, capable of blasting Alderaan into floating debris. In reality, more than 20 years after President Reagan's defense program became known as "Star Wars," the militarization of space is still in its infancy.
The Clinton administration's 1996 space policy promised to use any measures necessary to "preclude an adversary's hostile use of space." Last year, the Bush administration released a revised document that opens the door to using nuclear reactors in Earth orbit--something that is the only practical way to generate enough energy for exotic weapons like laser beams, particle beams, electromagnetic guns, and so on. (The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 bans nuclear weapons and "any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction.")
An analysis of space weapons spending in Bush's proposed 2008 budget shows it includes a Space-Based Interceptor (for enemy missiles) and, possibly, kinetic energy and directed-energy antisatellite programs. There was speculation last month that the Pentagon used an antisatellite weapon to destroy a Russian satellite, which the United States denies.
Photo by Lucasfilm
