White House responds with humor to call for U.S. ‘Death Star’

The White House has responded with a bit of humor to the tongue-in-cheek citizen-petition calling for the construction of a Star Wars-style “Death Star.”

The online petition found on the White House’s “We The People” website prompted a lengthy response by Paul Shawcross, chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget.

First, Shawcross noted that the U.S. already has a giant, football field-sized International Space Station in orbit around the Earth.

Second, he wrote that ‘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?"

Shawcross used the opportunity to jest about a couple of President Obama’s photo-opps and to promote some of the work at NASA that has expanded the bounds of what is considered science fiction.

“We don't have a Death Star,” he wrote, “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.”

Those with an interest in science may want to use those links to learn more.