The New Space Race

[Bonnie]

The new space race
Peter Brookes


June 6, 2005

It's as predictable as the rising and setting of the sun: Every time the United States moves to develop a new strategic weapons system that would improve national security, the Left starts whining and moaning.

The latest hissy-fit surrounds the Bush administration’s soon-to-be-issued National Space Policy — the first NSP update since the Clinton administration’s in 1996. Three years in the making, the new doctrine will reportedly permit the development of weapons to protect U.S. satellites.

Without having seen the final presidential policy decision, the arms-control fanatics are already condemning the new policy with frantic cries of “arms race,” “strategic instability” and “militarizing space.”

Fretting and fear-mongering aside, the fact is that the “final frontier” is critical to our national defense -- we’d better make darn sure we maintain our competitive edge there.

Space is the ultimate military high ground — and critical to maintaining the supremacy (in communications, reconnaissance and so much else) of our G.Is. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that whoever holds the upper hand there will hold the upper hand on earth.

If we don’t maintain our space superiority, others, such as the Chinese and the Russians, will gladly replace us -- guaranteed.

The “militarization” of space? Already a fact. Hundreds of military-related communications, navigation and intelligence satellites are already in orbit from a number of nations.

The question turns on “weaponizing” space — that is, deploying offensive and defensive space weapons that would protect a nation’s earth- and space-based interests and assets or strike earth-based targets.

Such Star Wars-like weapons might include ground- or satellite-based lasers or kinetic energy weapons able to incapacitate (kill) hostile satellites and ballistic missiles en route to their targets. It might also involve space-based hypervelocity metal rods—“Rods from God” — designed to strike ground targets at 7,200 mph (120 miles per minute) with the strength of a nuclear

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http://www.townhall.com/columnists/peterbrookes/printpb20050606.shtml

 

[menewa]

Why would anyone support super lasers blasting people from space?

Remember the movie Real Genius? Val Kilmer's character had it right. Use those insidious devices to make popcorn.