January 14, 2004

Even Less Imagination

To continue from my last post and some of the comments...

Something you don't hear much about, and something I think we should talk about more, is simply that a presence in space is vital to our security. There seems to be some sort of attitude that space exploration should be pure. That discussing the military aspect of space is poor form and something we don't want to really talk about. The Chinese aren't moving into space for the heck of it. If we don't go, others certainly will, and they won't be going because they want peace and brotherhood with all peoples of the Earth.

Yes, I'm feeling cynical this morning. Can you tell?

Posted by Ithildin at January 14, 2004 6:23 AM | PROCURE FINE OLD WORLD ABSINTHE

I totally agree with your comments on the space intiative... I also dropped an email to the white house in support of the intiative. It isn't much, but I figure someone ought to know that there is support out here in the hinterlands for the plan.

Posted by: jim f at January 14, 2004 2:22 PM

In a war, it is very good to take the high ground. You can not get much higher than a geo-sync orbit around this blue ball we live on.

Posted by: JP at January 14, 2004 5:55 PM

I would say it's probably considered improper to discuss the military aspects of space in large part because the U.N. Space Treaty (which as I've said in another comment I think must perish) seems strongly to dissuade the idea.

Any military space presence we have must be purely defensive, of course. Regardless of any global situation, we must never use our space forces to attack unless we are attacked from space ourselves. But other countries will not be so restrained, and once a violent power has control of space, it's going to be awfully hard for anyone else to get up without their blessing.

Posted by: at January 23, 2004 1:33 AM