United States Of America

Post by **Xest** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 1:07 pm

BTW, if you're wondering where the space policy changes came from it's because China has been blinding US satellites with lasers for the past few months and the US has had to stop and think and say hang on a second our ability to spy on any inch of the planet has been negated by a relatively cheap countermeasure.

<ankh> · Post by **<ankh>** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 1:15 pm

Xest wrote:BTW, if you're wondering where the space policy changes came from it's because China has been blinding US satellites with lasers for the past few months and the US has had to stop and think and say hang on a second our ability to spy on any inch of the planet has been negated by a relatively cheap countermeasure.

Really?

/Ankh

Post by **Xest** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 1:32 pm

Yes was on Slashdot and a few other news sites, was breifly mentioned in a BBC article also, found the whole thing pretty amusing, they were simply just shining powerful lasers onto the lense of the satellite from earth so it couldn't see anything apparently

As I say I think this is what's made the US make this latest announcement to make it look like they have a strong stance about keeping dominance in space.

<ankh> · Post by **<ankh>** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 3:31 pm

[quote="Xest"]Yes was on Slashdot and a few other news sites, was breifly mentioned in a BBC article also, found the whole thing pretty amusing, they were simply just shining powerful lasers onto the lense of the satellite from earth so it couldn't see anything apparently ]

Think you can find that article? Not that I doubt the truth in what you say, but it would be interesting to read it

/Ankh

Post by **Xest** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:12 pm

http://www.google.com/search?q=China+bl ... f8&oe=utf8

Plenty of results here, initial ones in the search results say "tried" but in the more recent articles about it even the US department of defence admitted that they'd succeded. Although if you want a conspiracy theory the US could actually just be saying that to make the Chinese beleive they can neutralise their satellites when they can't if it didn't really work

<ankh> · Post by **<ankh>** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:24 pm

Cheers mate - I'll check it asap.

/Ankh

Post by **Lairiodd** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:34 pm

<ankh> wrote:Now your just being stupid. The moon should be free for all imo. (and are you 100% sure they actually landed on the moon? ]/Ankh[/B]

Ok, well they should have claimed the landing sites, something like "I claim everything within 100km of this point as sovereign territory of the United States of America"

The point is that they should have (re)established the precedent that states are allowed to claim empty territory if they get there first.

Post by **Lairiodd** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:37 pm

Luz wrote:Why dont they make the law only apply if you make less then 1M $ / year?

Or any other change that would be as stupid. "Only applies to war" ?
Well US is at "war with terror" constantly and they will never stop to be.

The point is that in the constitution, the right doesn't apply during war. Congress just clarified the conditions.

You have to actually be fighting in a war against the US for the exemption to apply.

Post by **Lairiodd** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:43 pm

<ankh> wrote:Really?

/Ankh

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34732

US DOD? Report wrote: China has the ability to blind US satellites, thanks to a powerful ground-based laser capable of firing a beam of light at an optical reconnaissance satellite to keep it from taking pictures as it passes overhead

They don't say if it permenently blinds them though, the implication is that the blinding is temporary.

<ankh> · Post by **<ankh>** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:51 pm

Lairiodd wrote:Ok, well they should have claimed the landing sites, something like "I claim everything within 100km of this point as sovereign territory of the United States of America"

The point is that they should have (re)established the precedent that states are allowed to claim empty territory if they get there first.

Why so? Should anyone actually be allowed to claim our moon? I personally don't think so.

/Ankh