The US Should Build a Death Star

Status QuoAs it stands, the Earth and by extension the US has its pants down by its knees with regard to regarding intergalactic defence. The US government currently lacks any significant interstellar combat capabilities, moreover the government lacks any source of deterrence from interstellar attacks. This constitutes an enormous security hole which leaves the US populace, and indeed the entire global populace suspect to extinction via. extraterrestial invasion. Professor Stephen Hawking affirms:“If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans. … We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet.”The situation in recent years has vastly changed over what it was 100 years ago. Only 50 years ago were the first semiotic radio waves sent which are now propagating space at the speed of light. Clearly *ANY* highly advanced alien civilization that receives these signals will very quickly realise the birth of an intelligent civilization. Moreover the constant and increasing emission of radio waves over recent decades will make it significantly easier for alien civilizations to locate the Earth, and to proceed upon it.Since radio waves have been emitted for 50 years, effectively only stars within the ‘speed of light bubble’ will have received these signals by now, which is a total of 523598 cubic light years. This is projected to increase eightfold over the next 50 years, due to the volume expansion of the ‘radio bubble’. With these figures, we can be reasonably confidence that intelligent aliens within our local neighbourhood will eventually become aware of our existence, and indeed initiate its desired action.Furthermore, there is a significant public desire for the construction of a Death Star, for example a petition for the US to begin Death Star construction attained over 34,435 signatures.[1]Impact 1 – Initiating a ‘Sputnik Moment’Perhaps the most significant impacts are not those directly as a result of the construction of the Death Star. The commissioning of a Death Star will undeniably catalyse a rapid technological progression akin to Sputnik which to the Apollo program.There is significant evidence of this during the ‘Sputnik moment’ in the late 1950’s, when the Soviets surpassed the US in space-development.[2] The Apollo program that succeeded Sputnik drove the development of a plethora of technologies of which many have had a long-lasting impact to this day including navigation, telemetry, insulation, computation, wireless, etc. The Apollo program essentially ushered in the ‘Golden Age’ for the US, and the US’s status as technological leader has been eroded ever since.Upon commissioning the Death Star, the technologies required for constructing the Death Star would see immediate development. These technologies such as ion propulsion, nuclear fusion, construction of space-bases, asteroid resource mining, multi-use lifters, a space elevator, nuclear batteries, improved 3D printing technologies, higher energy particle accelerators, robotics, etc.[3]The development of nuclear fusion technologies alone would be a signfiricant enough impact of this proposal that voters should vote Pro on. Since this effectively leads to limitless energy availability, which is one of, if not the most limiting factor of economic growth.[4]Impact 2: Job & Housing MarketA functioning Death Star would create over 2 million jobs in direct operations, as well as living space for aforementioned 2 million employees. Given today’s numbers, which would provide employment and housing space for nearly 1% of the US population.Another consideration is that once the Death Star is complete, it would be a self-sustaining and self-contained body. Hence if the Earth was annihilated by either alien invasion, or other disasters such as bolloid impact (such as that which wiped out 75% of all Earth’s species during the K-Pg boundary), then the Death Star would serve as an indefinite ‘capsule’ for humans to continue to exist, independently of the disasters that will inevitably hit Earth.[5]Therefore, even if scepticism was posed against the Death Star being an effective deterrent, one should still vote Pro if they value the continued existence of the Human species.Impact 3: Launchpad for SpacecraftThe escape velocity from the Earth is 11.2 km/s, and the escape velocity from the Sun when on the Earth is a total of 43.5 km/s, this significantly limits what we are capable now in terms of sending spacecraft around within the solar system, or on interstellar travels. By following through on the proposed plan of commissioning and converting a metallic asteroid, we reduce our intrasolar escape velocity to just 0.13 km/s, and interstellar scape velocity to just 24.7 km/s.[6,7]The commissioning of a death star would allow for much more flexibility on spacecraft launch options, as significantly less propulsion is required to get to the required destinations, which is exemplified in the ideal rocket equation.Simply put, having the Death Star would allow for a base from which combat ships can be launched, as well as industrial ships, such as those for asteroid mining (especially useful since the proposed location of the Death Star is within the asteroid belt).As it stands, we do not have a ready-to-launch capability on Earth, because the propulsion technologies and requirements are so enormous. However when launching from a body with a very low escape velocity, much cheaper technologies, and technologies inappropriate for non-orbit escape such as ion drives become potent options. The Death Star would provide us with ready-launch capability that gives us the versatility and flexibility to act and react on-demand, with minimal planning and preparation, and with less sophisticated technology than is currently required for Earth escape.PlanOne of the most common objections to commissioning a Death Star is that it is impossible to launch the required material into space (some 10^19 kg), which is a valid objection. But this is neither needed nor appropriate, since we have a plethora of metallic bodies within the solar system that we can transform into a Death Star. One such example form which I will issue as a direct plan is to manufacture an M-Type (metallic-type) asteroid called 16-Psyche.[8,9] It is the ideal size than the required specifications (240×185×145 km), as well as an exceptionally high metallicity, which means minimal, or no ore processing is required to transform the body into a suitable death star.Therefore, the development of the technologies preliminarily required for the death star (nuclear fusion, development of interstellar manned bases, development of the necessary robotics and A.I.) would be initiated on Earth, and will succeed and existing efforts in these area.[10,11]The beginning of construction will involve the establishment of a self-sustaining biosphere on 16-Psyche, followed by the establishment of manufacturing capabilities. The technology for biosphere manufacture already exists on Earth and has been highly successful, and only the logistics of establishing the same types of biosphere on 16-Psyche is required. Ideally nuclear fusion would be used to power facilities on 16-Psyche, however fission based technologies such as solid-fuel uranium, and on-the-horizon liquid fuel technologies are sufficient to fuel most initial and long-term activities on 16-Psyche with adjustments.[12,13]The expansion of the biosphere on 16-Psyche will remain the priority which will allow for extraneous scientific work to be conducted. Due to the low gravity and escape velocity, the interior of 16-Psyche would gradually be excavated and modelled to provide shelter, living quarters, and space for the installation of space for spacecraft storage/docking, propulsion, and weapon installation.The weaponisation of 16-Psyche will complete the transformation of the asteroid into the Death Star, with the installation of missiles, lasers, jamming equipment and projectile weapons. This will not be completed until the biosphere is versatile and functional.This has the advantage of creating a ‘human lifeboat’ early in the construction process, which requires fewer resources than the complete weaponisation of the asteroid. Therefore, if the Earth were attacked, or struck within the next few years, then we would still be able to thrive on the incomplete Death Star.SummaryA pragmatic, and potent solution to the Earth’s interstellar defensive problems that also offers a solution to a plethora of extant issues on Earth such as energy and intra-solar system travel & manipulation is available via. the construction of a Death Star. The motion for construction of such is imperative in light of the present situation of the imminent discovery of Earth by intelligent aliens. References 1. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov... 2. 3. http://theweek.com... 4. http://ccep.anu.edu.au... 5. http://en.wikipedia.org... 6. http://keisan.casio.com... 7. Note, data for reference #9 plugged in to source #6 8. http://en.wikipedia.org... 9. http://en.wikipedia.org... 10. http://en.wikipedia.org... 11. http://en.wikipedia.org... 12. http://www.iaea.org... 13. http://en.wikipedia.org...