Challenges loom as Obama seeks space weapons ban

Challenges loom as Obama seeks space weapons ban

www.reuters.com

President Barack Obama's pledge to seek a worldwide ban on weapons in space marks a dramatic shift in U.S. policy while posing the tricky issue of defining whether a satellite can be a weapon.

Moments after Obama's inauguration last week, the White House website was updated to include policy statements on a range of issues, including a pledge to restore U.S. leadership on space issues and seek a worldwide ban on weapons that interfere with military and commercial satellites.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I tell you something, if Obama delivers on just half the promises and statements put out this week i will be suitably impressed.

Think Mr Greer has been having a word in his ear?

(not i am not a Greer fan, although the disclosure project was exciting in its time , and i don't think so many military personell speaking should not be ignored... just when i got to the part of his session to contact other beings. and to go on them you have to sign a Non-Disclosure form i mean wtf is that about, Hypocrisy!)

www.reuters.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Quantum_Squirrel


isnt space already Militarized?
we have satalites that can be controled to attack other satalites with projectiles and then we have the star wars defence system and so on.

Ok, I;m not a fan of this. I have been wanting a blaster and lightsaber since I was a small child, and Obama is screwing me out of tht chance.

So Obama is really saying that he wants a ban on the rest of the world putting weapons in space. He wants Team America World Police to be the only force with space weapons.

Maybe someone told him that they already have *cough* a couple *cough* of weapons already in orbit?

Considering how well the nuclear ban has been going, I am pretty sure this will be just be a few more words scratch on paper that don't mean a darn thing. Hell, we will probably be the first one to break such a ban.

reply to post by bodrul

I think you could slam a sattelite into another but i am not sure we have any that shoot projectiles...

Also if the U.S had a working 'Star wars' project .. why the need for ground based missile defense shields?

the best i think you have is lasers mounted on planes and some ground based lasers that as of late are becoming more and more effective.

reply to post by tezzajw


We can track all the sattalites right? heck they have software that tracks all the garbage orbiting... if a U.S space based weapon was up there u think one of the other superpowers wouldn't know and wouldn't scream blue murder? unless they have them also .........


reply to post by jam321



A great point maybe we should concentrate on banning the world ending weapons on the ground first before tackling the space based ones .. although space based ban might be easier to pull off.

Two Words:

Black Budget.

So what Obama is going to do is try to push a ban on spaced based weapons meanwhile there are billions of dollars in black budget money that the gov't is unaccountable for and doesn't even know about.

What does Obama think, China, Russia, etc is going to let US to inspect everything they launch into space?

This dude is in way over his head.

Obama is all about weakening the Military. 1st closing Club Gitmo (even though that will not happen), now a space weapons ban. This is a slap in the face to Ronald Reagan, a man who actually cared about keeping Americans safe.

You Can Have My Orbital Kinetic Kill Vehicle When You Pry It From My Cold, Dead Fingers

Not only is such a ban likely to prove impractical and unenforceable for nations other than the U.S., it probably wouldn't stop space weapon programs in the U.S. either.

Pure political fluff, in my opinion.

YMMV

Please, RR!

First off, I thought the Outer Space Treaty was already in effect, stating that it "bars States Parties to the Treaty from placing nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in orbit of Earth, installing them on the Moon or any other celestial body, or to otherwise station them in outer space."

Well, I hope Obama is able to work it through.

As to you, RR, [ill-mannered comment removed]. The United States is not supposed to be a major powerhouse, especially as something as dangerous with weapons in space. We want a more peaceful world.



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[edit on 26-1-2009 by 12m8keall2c]

Originally posted by Majic
You Can Have My Orbital Kinetic Kill Vehicle When You Pry It From My Cold, Dead Fingers

Not only is such a ban likely to prove impractical and unenforceable for nations other than the U.S., it probably wouldn't stop space weapon programs in the U.S. either.

Pure political fluff, in my opinion.

YMMV

Although i respect you're right to the 'Orbital Kinetic Kill Vehicle ' i am worried that when you need it most it will fail... will the kinetic part of it work with no resistance to push against?

EDIT to ADD:

it appears you're orbital killing machine will actually work very well i sit corrected.

wiki states

Spacecraft use chemical energy to take off and gain considerable kinetic energy to reach orbital velocity. This kinetic energy gained during launch will remain constant while in orbit because there is almost no friction. However it becomes apparent at re-entry when the kinetic energy is converted to heat.

[edit on 26/1/09 by Quantum_Squirrel]

Rhetorical Question.

How in the world do you enforce a no-space-weapons banned without having space weapons yourself?

I know that space wars is quickly becoming the biggest threat, outpacing bioterrorism and anything else.

A country developes the ability to take out a couple of communication satellites and it can set another country back into the dark ages. I don't think people realize the seriousness of the situation, how much we rely on our satelittes. I imagine DOD relies on them a great bit.

I think it is actually a very perceptive thing to focus on space wars. it means he is looking at future decades as well as now.

Do yall realize just how many satellites orbit our planet? It looks like a ring of Saturn!!

science.nasa.gov...

This site shows a visual of them all. EEK!

reply to post by hotbakedtater


That's a cool site.

We still have room for more.

Okay so when that thing hiding on the moon decides to rise up and finally attack Earth and we have no weapons to defend ourselves with - then WTF are we supposed to do? Oh wait - Obama's a Reptilian and that's part of his plan ... disarm and conquer! No space weapons, no handguns, no rifles, no nukes, no model glue. I see it clearly now ...

:shk: Geeeze ....

If America has the technology to have space weapons, then we should be able to have space weapons.

We should use our brains and our technology to keep us strong.

PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.

To tie our hands would make all the other countries who are less powerful than us veeeeeeeeeery happy.

You know... I think oblongo is out to get rid of ANYTHING that he didnt put there. When reagan first introduced "star wars", America cheered him pretty much for looking out for America.

I think oblongo is such an egomaniac that he is going to have nothing left on the face of America that HE didn't bring to it. It doesnt matter if it was good or if it was bad for America, if he didn't create the program, it's out the window.

I honest to God think he is such a power freak, that some of this is whats going on. I think he also is "out to get the man", namely what has been traditional white males in power. it is not beyond somebody like him to think that way!