A.F. General states that space must be secured for the military.

"We have a duty to secure the entire space domain not just for our own military but for the benefit of the free world," said Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, AFSPC commander.

Source


I was actually hoping that mankind would come to its senses and space could be explored for scientific purposes. Perhaps it was the optimist in me.

Still, here you have it right from the horses mouth. A government site flat out saying space will be militarized.

I guess as a realist I knew it would happen, still....

I believe it might have a bit more truthiness if you swap "have" to "had" in the second word there.

Although I suppose you'd have to quibble a bit about 'secure'. Not a lot though.

I'm honestly not as opposed to this as I would have been at one time.

By doing this space technology and systems will be developed, which
will eventually trickle down into the public domain, and have the
potential to advance outr technology and boost the new born space
tourism industry.

I don't think we have any business going into space when we have so many problems on Earth to worry about. All we are doing is taking the shortcoming of mankind with us into the abyss. We are like cockroaches in a way. I don't like it.

There will always be problems. People will always have shortcomings, because no creature can be perfection in all ways. You're designed to be a plains ape with remnants of a brachiator, and maybe some aspects from a water-dwelling ancestor. You won't be as fast as a cheetah, as strong as a chimp. Because you aren't those things.

There is no utopia of human perfection, and never will be.

However, a lack of perfection in one area is no excuse for embracing mediocrity or ignorance in another. Where would you be today if your teachers had said, "Nope, OxygenKills can't progress on to learning arithmetic, he still can't conjugate verbs properly. After all, can't learn any other subject until he is pure perfection in the first. So, he'll have to earn that English PhD before he can learn how to add! Sonnets before subtraction!"

I think America is absolutely disgusting in showing its intentions to flagrently breech international treaties against the militarisation of space.

The USA, UK and almost a hundred other countries signed th Outer Space Treaty setting out rules that, among other, ban the deployment of nuclear weapons and WMD in space and states "outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means."

America seems intent on defying these rules and placing weapons an space and defending what it sees as its domain.

What annoys me more is that no one has the guts to stand up to america on this issue. Why aren't any of the other countries who are signatories to this treaty making a fuss of this?

I fail to see anywhere in the General's comment, where the militarization of space was mentioned. You all need to read more carefully before having kittens. There's a big difference between having a secure environment for all the satellites in orbit, and putting offensive weapons in space.

The first trio I would send up there to "secure" the place are the AstroNuts that just made the news when Nowak tried to kill the rival of her affections down in Florida. I think people are losing their minds, if the military cannot win this war on terror what makes them think they can secure space?? They can't even stabilize third world countries.......this will be one more political nightmare we can add to the growing list.

If America doesn't do it then other countries will before us and it will be inevitable. It's not like the other countries are perfectly good and we're the only "evil" force bent on doing this. What if Russia secretly did this, or someone else? We would be SOL.

Originally posted by Well
If America doesn't do it then other countries will before us and it will be inevitable.

Thats such a pathetic justification for breaking international law. Would you have looted during the NYC black-out just because someone else might do it eventually anyway?

Just because there is the possiblilty that another country might militarise space doesn't give justification for the Americans to do it first!

The treaty bans WMD in space, not weapons period.

Originally posted by Schaden
The treaty bans WMD in space, not weapons period.

Whats your point?

Originally posted by gfad

Originally posted by Schaden
The treaty bans WMD in space, not weapons period.

Whats your point?

His point being that it would only be illegal to place WMDs in space,
but placing normal weapons would not be breaking any laws and would/
is therefore legal.