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From: matt@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP (Matt Crawford)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Star Wars Defense Plan
Message-ID: <410@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 22-Aug-84 12:30:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: oddjob.410
Posted: Wed Aug 22 12:30:47 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 23-Aug-84 01:27:22 EDT
References: <3400025@ea.UUCP>
Organization: U. Chicago: Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lines: 22

Let me address the suggestion that we would have greatly improved
security if both the US and USSR had a space-based ballistic
missile defense.

Such a defense consists of some apparatus capable of destroying
perhaps 5000 targets in a short period of time, either while the
targets are in the atmosphere or just above it.  No matter what the
exact technology involved, such a system would seem to be capable of
destroying other satellites as well as missiles.  While satellites
do not emit as much heat as a missile in the boost phase, they are
available to sight at for a longer time and possibly easier to
verify as "killed".  An attack by either country, whether all-out
or "surgical", would logically begin by destroying all satellites
which might be part of the enemy's defense.

Creating a single defense system and putting it international hands
would be an alternative, but if that were politically possible, why
could we not do the same with the nuclear weapons themselves?  Does
anyone believe that that could ever happen?
___________________________________________________________
Matt		University	ARPA: crawford@anl-mcs.arpa
Crawford	of Chicago	UUCP: ihnp4!oddjob!matt