Monstrous Space Bomber to circle earth - rockets at the ready

[donsu]

http://baltimore.indymedia.org/newswire/display/5576/index.php

Bush Pentagon Announces Plans to Orbit Monstrous Space Bomber

On November 17, a page-one story in "Space News International" announced that NASA has laid plans to revive the X-37 space plane, which it will now send into orbit for 270 days. This trial period, says SNI, was "originally set by the US Air Force as a way to begin proving the feasibility of orbiting Earth with camera- and bomb-laden space planes for months at a time....The Air Foprce's 270-day requirement stemmed from a proposed space warfare stretegy of global strike that Air Force space planners have pushed hard inside the Pentagon in recent years ."

This scheme represents nothing less than a colossally arrogant, power-drunk bid for total global dominance. The scheme calls for the creation of a fleet of unpiloted space panes that would be able to stay in orbit, circling the planet with bombs and spy cameras for months at a time. These monsters would carry smaller "reenetry vehicles" called Common Aerospace Vehicles (CAVs). CAVs in turn would carry up to 10 500-pound bombs each. Nice, eh? And those modest bombs would without doubt only be the initial "trial load" prior to scaling up to bigger and "better" stuff - like nukes, for example. "Targets would be struck quickly nearly anywhere around the globe without having to position aircraft to forward positions," reports SNI. No need to ask the UN's cooperation, just bomb 'em!

-snip-

It also appears that much of NASA's funding is getting diverted into the space bomber program under cover of the inocuous sounding "Orbital Space Program." Boeing quietly announced on 11/4 to industry papers that it had set up a whole new office dedicated to this program. Less than two weeks later, the official revival of the space bomber (under the title of the "space plane" ) was announced. The same article observed that NASA was negotiating with Boeing to alter its current contracts to include the 270-day trial. I have the feeling the altered contracts were a "done deal" before Boeing opened its new office on 11/4.

-snip-

The most disturbing thing, perhaps in all of this is that with this kind of "autonomy" (no need to rely on airspace and cooperation from other nations), the US hawks will have NO incentive to use diplomacy, to compromise, to respect other nations with whom they disagree or, more likely, on whose natural resources they have their eye. It is like giving a playground bully a machine gun.
-snip-
--------------------------------

I've said it before and I'm saying it now: the criminal bushgang has highjacked NASA and is holding it hostage. the NASA we knew and loved is dead.

like, you really think we can vote them out of office? dream on.

[terrya]

1. Well, there goes the arms race out of control.

Am I naive on this? Do you think countries like China are just going to sit idly by as we assemble an aresnal in space?

[Ficus]

4. Dennis K on the subject -

KUCINICH: It is very important with an Administration that wants to use space as the next platform for its weapons, so that America can achieve hegemony in space. You know, it is almost some kind of a 21st century parody of the Spanish Armada, of yesteryear, seeking to rule the seas. Now it's the United States trying to seize the highest ground in the universe, space. It is not our business to do. There is no other nation that has the capacity to mount an attack against the United States from space. So, what's this about? Perhaps some crude attempt at -- using space as the next junkyard for military contractors.

from http://www.truthout.com/docs_02/03.17A.Kucinich.Interview.htm

Dennis has tried to get legislation through to stop this kind of nonsense.

[Ficus]

6. the proposed bill

Space Preservation Act of 2002

HR 3616 IH

107th CONGRESS
2nd Session
H. R. 3616

Mr. KUCINICH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and International Relations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To preserve the cooperative, peaceful uses of space for the benefit of all humankind by prohibiting the basing of weapons in space and the use of weapons to destroy or damage objects in space that are in orbit, and for other purposes,

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Space Preservation Act of 2002'.

SEC. 2. REAFFIRMATION OF POLICY ON THE PRESERVATION OF PEACE IN SPACE.

Congress reaffirms the policy expressed in section 102(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (42 U.S.C. 2451(a)), stating that it "is the policy of the United States that activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes for the benefit of all mankind."

SEC. 3. BAN ON BASING OF WEAPONS IN SPACE AND THE USE OF WEAPONS AGAINST OBJECTS IN SPACE IN ORBIT.

The President shall--

(1) implement a ban on space-based weapons of the United States and the use of weapons of the United States to destroy or damage objects in space that are in orbit, and

(2) immediately order the termination of research and development, testing, manufacturing, production, and deployment of all space-based weapons of the United States.

SEC. 4. INTERNATIONAL TREATY BANNING SPACE-BASED WEAPONS AND THE USE OF WEAPONS AGAINST OBJECTS IN SPACE IN ORBIT.

The President shall direct the United States representatives to the United Nations and other international organizations to immediately work toward negotiating, adopting, and implementing an international treaty banning space-based weapons and the use of weapons to destroy or damage objects in space that are in orbit.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

The President shall submit to Congress not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, a report on--

(1) the implementation of the ban on space-based weapons and the use of weapons to destroy or damage objects in space that are in orbit required by section 3; and

(2) progress toward negotiating, adopting, and implementing the treaty described in section 4.

SEC. 6. SPACE-BASED NONWEAPONS ACTIVITIES.

Nothing in this Act may be construed as prohibiting the use of funds for--

(1) space exploration;

(2) space research and development;

(3) testing, manufacturing, or production that is not related to space-based weapons or systems; or

(4) civil, commercial, or defense activities (including communications, navigation, surveillance, reconnaissance, early warning, or remote sensing) that are not related to space-based weapons or systems.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) The term `space' means all space extending upward from an altitude greater than 60 kilometers above the surface of the earth and any celestial body in such space.

(2) The terms `space-based weapon' and `space-based system' mean a device capable of damaging or destroying an object or person (whether in outer space, in atmosphere, or on earth) by -

(A) firing one or more projectiles to collide with that object or person;

(B) detonating one or more explosive devices in close proximity to that object or person;

(C) directing a source of energy against that object or person; or

(D) any other undeveloped means.

END

[Lars39]

2. This is one of those times I wish I had taken the blue pill.

Totally bizarre reality we are living right now. :(

[Capt_Nemo]

3. Duh! Orbital bombers already exist:

they are called ICBMs and SLBMs... true they only fly sub-orbital
trajectories, but the guidance could come from OTHER orbital
based assets.

The danger of this move is that any power posessing ICBM tech will
be tempted to develop conventional armed versions of their designs
and USE them for power projection...

Other than that this is just more corporate welfare for Boeing Co.

[burr]

12. these projects have been worked on for years...

compared to the military's space program, NASA has only been our token distraction.

While pushing to land men on the moon, the Air Force had been sending men into space with the "officially cancelled" X-20 dyna-soar. After the race to land men on the moon, the airforce already had operational Space Shuttles..used to launch military satellities and stations into space. When it became obsolete, this technology was handed down to NASA in the late seventies. In the eighties the Air Force developed a new Shuttle which had winglets, was able to carry twice the load, and even had a removable payload bay. Then came the Trans-Atmospheric Vehical, another Air Force Project kept tightly under wraps. This plane flies at the speed of Mach 30, and is able to travel from New York to Australia in just half an hour! An on top of this in the 90's the Air Force developed the X-30 Aero-space plane, a single-stage space plane which could both land and take off from a runway or aircraft carrier.

Then there was a nuclear powered Lockheed rocketbomber that was able to remain in flight indefinately. It was the nuclear submarine of the skies...or so that was the sales pitch!

[Maple]

5. Well that could easily

be taken out.

[Capt_Nemo]

7. Yes, the braindead part of this is that they put the things

up there, loitering for months, becoming nice targets for ASAT
systems. From what I've seen of the X-37 it is not that stealthy.
A sub-orbital or a one-orbit mission makes way more sense...

[soothsayer]

8. i guess we're trying to scare China to keep off the moon

hoo boy

[izzie]

9. They are crazy and this is all madness.

Who are we doing it to and why? Write congress and really be mad.

[tlb]

10. Before people hyperventilate

http://www.space.com/spacenews/businessmonday_031117.html


In 2002, U.S. Air Force Secretary James Roche pulled his agency out of the X-37 program when Air Force engineers warned that the plane, then in development at Boeing’s facility in Palmdale, Calif., was becoming too heavy to meet the service’s needs.

NASA has since decided to restrict that original version of the X-37 to drop tests from a NASA B-52 bomber. The agency has asked Boeing to build a second, orbital version of the X-37 that would have the ability to stay in orbit for 270 days, as initially envisioned under the joint program.

The X-37 is a winged vehicle that resembles a miniature space shuttle orbiter. It will demonstrate 25 innovative aerospace technologies under NASA’s Orbital Space Plane program, an effort to develop a crew rescue alternative for the international space station by late 2008.

X-37 advocates are concerned that if NASA chooses a wingless capsule as the best way to carry astronauts home in an emergency, their project will be vulnerable to cancellation.

By reviving the 270-day requirement, NASA managers might be trying to draw the Air Force back into the program, said Theresa Hitchens, a senior analyst at the Center for Defense Information in Washington. Hitchens said it would be difficult to justify the long-duration requirement on the grounds of testing remote sensing instruments.


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The thing is smaller then the shuttle. As a weapons system you'd get more bang for the buck buying additional B 2's.

[Robb]

13. Beat me to it.

Had I posted first, it would have been disarmingly similar to yours. :)

[tlb]

15. Obviously GMTA

or something like that :)

[tom_paine]

11. Like tha black bird in Pink Floyd's "The Wall"

Did did did you see the fightened ones?

Did did did you hear the falling bombs?

Did did did you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter and the promise of a brave new world unfelt beneath the clear blue sky?

Imperial Amerika is taking shape. And it is a shape the world has seen before...

(we should really change that blue field of stars to black to signify the New Imperial Amerika)

[teevee]

14. go dennis!

wish more people thought like him

[goforit]

16. Out of Control!!!

Can anyone do anything?

[TexasMexican]

17. Sounds pretty nifty.

I have no doubt that space will become more militarized, its just human nature, we have militarized everything else.

The fact that we are going to be trying to do more in space is good in and of itself. It doesnt seem like NASA will ever get enough funding, while its fairly certain the the military will not be cut anytime soon.

Hopefully they will atleast learn some things that will be useful for the rest of us and for our future in space.

Also I figure we will need space based weapons for when we have to fend off an asteroid or aliens eventually.

[burr]

18. just think of what this investment could do on Earth...

What it could do if pumped into basic medical research, if used to feed and provide medical assistance to starving, diseased children all over this overpopulated planet. Think of what this money could do if used to improve our public school systems nationwide, or to reduce the shortfall in the federal budget. It could be used to replace the Space Shuttle, which is clearly a flying deathtrap for all who travel on it.

There are so many better uses for this money than to turn America into another world threat. We are the only superpower left, and we need to begin acting like one...not like some tinhorn tyrants!