Image: Del Ray
The planet-killing Death Star may have been the ultimate weapon for the Empire in the "Star Wars" films, but it has no place in the United States military today, a White House official said on January 11.
The statement, an official response a petition to begin building a real-life Death Star by 2016 on the White House's We the People website, said President Barack Obama's Administration cannot support building the science fiction weapon for several down-to-Earth reasons.
"The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon," wrote Paul Shawcross, chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House's Office of Management and Budget.
The Death Star petition, posted in the November, was signed by 34,435 people and the White House has pledged to respond to any petitions that garner 25,000 signatures in 30 days.
Not the least of the hurdles for a real-life Death Star is the space construction costs, which Shawcross said has been estimated at $850 quadrillion (that's $850,000,000,000,000,000). The White House is trying to reduce the deficit, not expand it, he wrote.
Then there's the Death Star's planet-destroying warship nature.
"The Administration does not support blowing up planets," Shawcross wrote.
And of course, there's the fact that Luke Skywalker destroyed the first Death Star with a single X-wing fighter.
"Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that could be exploited by a one-man starship?" Shawcross explained.
While there will be no moon-size Death Star in the U.S. military's arsenal by 2016, Saturn's real-life moon Mimas does look eerily similar to the fictional warship. [Saturn's'Death Star' Moon Mimas (Photos)]
Last year, astronomers with the agency's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope also announced that they found a real-life version of Tatooine, Luke's home planet with two suns. NASA also plans to send astronauts where no one has gone before — an asteroid — by 2025, and then take aim a manned trip to Mars in the 2030s.
And Shawcross also urged the public to go outside at night and look up.
"However, look carefully (here's how) and you'll notice something already floating in the sky — that's no moon, it's a space station!" Shawcross wrote. "Yes, we already have a giant, football field-sized International Space Station in orbit around the Earth that's helping us learn how humans can live and thrive in space for long durations."
The International Space Station is a $100 billion orbiting lab — a deal compared to the Death Star — and is currently home to a six-man crew representing the United States, Russia and Canada. Construction of the space station began in 1998 and today it is the largest manmade structure in space. It has the same living space as a five-bedroom house.
The space station can appear so bright to observers on Earth that at times it rivals Venus, the brightest planet in the night sky. Two American astronauts (of NASA), three Russian cosmonauts and a Canadian astronaut currently live on the station.
And Shawcross said there are other Star Wars technologies besides the Death Star that do have a place in today's society.
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8 Comments
Add CommentDoes the government not have any serious work to do? I could suggest a couple of important issues that they could be occupying their time with, rather than spending public money replying to time wasters.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLighten up, the government is required by law to respond to such petitions once the number of people signing it hits 25,000. The complete responce in posted on Wireds' site and is actually pretty funny. It was in my view an appopriat responce to a silly petition
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy counter proposal I think is a reasonable alternative.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttps://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/bring-back-firefly/wH699Xx4
What an ignorant waste of time to even have a debate or give serious consideration to such a thing. We spend enough money creating Atom-Bombs,Cobalt-Bombs,Hydrogen-Bombs,Neutron-Bombs and lord knows what else. Can't we get away from weapons of mass destruction and start spending money on life instead of death.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisVery much enjoyed this one....
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile the Death Star idea is funny, it made me think of something we probably should be focusing more on which which is asteroid/comet impact avoidance.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBO is desperate to keep America weak and behind. His plan is to do as much damage to the military and the economy as possible. HOw unuasua for an American to deliberatley hurt America as BO has done.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@7 Oldineluctable...what a bunch of crap...
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