White House Responds to Death Star Petition

[DerMißingno]

In November, someone put up a petition on [noparse]Whitehouse.gov[/noparse] about the funding and building of a Death Star around Earth in order to "spur job creation in the fields of construction, engineering, space exploration, and more, and strengthen our national defense." This petition received over 34,000 signatures, and it reached it's 25,000 signature goal within the required time. Here was the White House's response:

Official White House Response to Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016.
This Isn't the Petition Response You're Looking For

By Paul Shawcross

The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon. Here are a few reasons:

The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it.
The Administration does not support blowing up planets.
Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?

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! 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 Space Station has six astronauts -- American, Russian, and Canadian -- living in it right now, conducting research, learning how to live and work in space over long periods of time, routinely welcoming visiting spacecraft and repairing onboard garbage mashers, etc. We've also got two robot science labs -- one wielding a laser -- roving around Mars, looking at whether life ever existed on the Red Planet.

Keep in mind, space is no longer just government-only. Private American companies, through NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office (C3PO), are ferrying cargo -- and soon, crew -- to space for NASA, and are pursuing human missions to the Moon this decade.

Even though the United States doesn't have anything that can do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, we've got two spacecraft leaving the Solar System and we're building a probe that will fly to the exterior layers of the Sun. We are discovering hundreds of new planets in other star systems and building a much more powerful successor to the Hubble Space Telescope that will see back to the early days of the universe.

We don't have a Death Star, but we do have floating robot assistants on the Space Station, a President who knows his way around a light saber and advanced (marshmallow) cannon, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is supporting research on building Luke's arm, floating droids, and quadruped walkers.

We are living in the future! Enjoy it. Or better yet, help build it by pursuing a career in a science, technology, engineering or math-related field. The President has held the first-ever White House science fairs and Astronomy Night on the South Lawn because he knows these domains are critical to our country's future, and to ensuring the United States continues leading the world in doing big things.

If you do pursue a career in a science, technology, engineering or math-related field, the Force will be with us! Remember, the Death Star's power to destroy a planet, or even a whole star system, is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

Paul Shawcross is Chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget

Source


What do you think about online petitions?

 

[Tophat Dragoneye]

The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it.

Thaaat's a lot of money. And a big nail nail to the coffin of that idea.

The Administration does not support blowing up planets.

Very reasonable, I think we all can agree to that, especially if it aimed at our planet (gulp).

Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?

I can imagine the headlines if that were to happen: "COUNTLESS AMOUNT OF MONEY WASTED AFTER DEATH STAR IS DESTROYED BY ONE ONE-MAN STARSHIP"

I personally appreciate the thought behind the petition, but couldn't it have been more, you know, reasonable?

 

[DerMißingno]

The fact that it was unreasonable is exactly the point they were trying to make by starting the petition.

 

[NoirGrimoir]

I think this is hilarious, both the petition and the thoughtful response. I hope this becomes a popular news story and encourages interest in space and the sciences in the US.

 

[Dorothy LaRouge]

I find their lack of faith disturbing.

 

[Hunter Blade]

Star Wars' official response to the petition being rejected:

Planet Earth Abandons Death Star Project In Face Of Superior Galactic Imperial Power | Star Wars Blog

 

[GatoRage]

Also, not just the cost of building it. Then you have to add the cost of maintaining it; elecricity, warm water, food, janitor droids to clean the floors and space monkey butlers just to name a few vital things. Then add the TIE fighters to defend it and the training of the pilots. And all that adds up to a hell of a lot of munny.

 

[GliscorMan]

But think of the economy boost! Millions employed almost instantly! It's a shame such an opportunity was put to waste by the current Administration.

 

[DerMißingno]

Also, not just the cost of building it. Then you have to add the cost of maintaining it; elecricity, warm water, food, janitor droids to clean the floors and space monkey butlers just to name a few vital things. Then add the TIE fighters to defend it and the training of the pilots. And all that adds up to a hell of a lot of munny.

That's not as expensive as you think it would be. Just throw a few thousand nuclear reactors up there and you won't have to worry too much about electricity. Water can be recycled. For food you could grow hydroponic crops in artificial greenhouses (if they can do it in Antarctica they can do it anywhere), and have livestock on board. For cleaning droids, just buy a few million roombas. Tie fighters are just capsules with two ion engines and a couple large solar panels. That can be easily manufactured using today's technology, and anyone who has ever played a video game could pilot them.

 

[Hunter Blade]

That can be easily manufactured using today's technology, and anyone who has ever played a video game could pilot them.

I'd be a pro. Probably help train people. We'd use Star Wars Battlefront II to teach people, since you can fly in space.

 

[DerMißingno]

That can be easily manufactured using today's technology, and anyone who has ever played a video game could pilot them.

I'd be a pro. Probably help train people. We'd use Star Wars Battlefront II to teach people, since you can fly in space.

Actually I think the classic TIE Fighter games would be a better simulation. Not that Battlefront would be bad, I just think they did a lot right in TIE Fighter.

 

[Hunter Blade]

Actually I think the classic TIE Fighter games would be a better simulation. Not that Battlefront would be bad, I just think they did a lot right in TIE Fighter.

That's true, but those games would badly need an update. Not saying Battlefront wouldn't need one, I really want a Battlefront III, but I like the feel of flying in Battlefront a lot.

 

[Tophat Dragoneye]

Let me ask a question: How are going to get enough materials to create a Death Star from one planet, namely Earth? And I don't think we can get the materials from the other planets yet or in the nearby future, if you're going to bring that up.

 

[DerMißingno]

Let me ask a question: How are going to get enough materials to create a Death Star from one planet, namely Earth? And I don't think we can get the materials from the other planets yet or in the nearby future, if you're going to bring that up.

Recycling.

 

[GatoRage]

Also, not just the cost of building it. Then you have to add the cost of maintaining it; elecricity, warm water, food, janitor droids to clean the floors and space monkey butlers just to name a few vital things. Then add the TIE fighters to defend it and the training of the pilots. And all that adds up to a hell of a lot of munny.

That's not as expensive as you think it would be. Just throw a few thousand nuclear reactors up there and you won't have to worry too much about electricity. Water can be recycled. For food you could grow hydroponic crops in artificial greenhouses (if they can do it in Antarctica they can do it anywhere), and have livestock on board. For cleaning droids, just buy a few million roombas. Tie fighters are just capsules with two ion engines and a couple large solar panels. That can be easily manufactured using today's technology, and anyone who has ever played a video game could pilot them.

By golly, you're right. Now we have to build it more than ever. That Obama I tell you...I certainly won't be voting for that scoundrel again.

 

[Hunter Blade]

Believe it or not, we do have enough material on Earth for a small Death Star. Remember, the thing isn't a solid ball of steel. There's a lot of space in it.

 

[Tophat Dragoneye]

Believe it or not, we do have enough material on Earth for a small Death Star. Remember, the thing isn't a solid ball of steel. There's a lot of space in it.

True true, but the petition was about a full scale version if I got it correct, right? Anyway, aside from that, we do have enough materials to make our own Death Star, I admit.

Another question which die-hard Star wars is going to have on their "we want that-list": What about gravity?

By the way, don't misunderstand me if I sound too skeptical at times. I like the idea of an artificial metal planet, I just want to solve some obvious problems through discussions and keep it fresh.

 

[Caitlin]

By golly, you're right. Now we have to build it more than ever. That Obama I tell you...I certainly won't be voting for that scoundrel again.

Of course you won't, he's not running for a third term.

That can be easily manufactured using today's technology, and anyone who has ever played a video game could pilot them.

I dunno about that. A friend of mine joined the air force a few years ago, and she's told me that learning to pilot a fighter jet was one of the most difficult things she has ever done, and she's an avid gamer who absolutely loved flight simulators before joining. By no means am I an expert in the physics of space flight, but I imagine it'd be much more difficult than flying an aircraft. You have tons of space debris to look out for, you'd be flying around at well over mach 20. The fancy flying you see in Star Wars would probably make even the most veteran pilot blackout and lose their orientation if they tried to replicate it.

 

[GatoRage]

By golly, you're right. Now we have to build it more than ever. That Obama I tell you...I certainly won't be voting for that scoundrel again.

Of course you won't, he's not running for a third term.

True, true. And I'm not even from the US. So the act of voting itself is....a bit of a problem for me.

/back on topic discussing potential building of Dead Star and whatnot:

 

[DerMißingno]

I dunno about that. A friend of mine joined the air force a few years ago, and she's told me that learning to pilot a fighter jet was one of the most difficult things she has ever done, and she's an avid gamer who absolutely loved flight simulators before joining. By no means am I an expert in the physics of space flight, but I imagine it'd be much more difficult than flying an aircraft. You have tons of space debris to look out for, you'd be flying around at well over mach 20. The fancy flying you see in Star Wars would probably make even the most veteran pilot blackout and lose their orientation if they tried to replicate it.

Well space debris is an issue, but it doesn't really factor into your ability to fly because there's no possible way you're going to be able to avoid being hit by space debris just by seeing it and moving. Also, mach number has no meaning in space since it is based on air density and there is basically no air in space. All spacecraft have an infinite mach number. We generally use kilometers per second as the normal unit for speed in space. If you're in low earth orbit, you're probably going to be traveling with an orbital speed of around 7 kilometers per second minimum. But for maneuvering your spacecraft it's not really your orbital speed that matters, it's your speed relative to whatever object you are maneuvering around.