An Independent Policy Forum held on 3/7/08. Peter L. Hays, Associate Director of the Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies, and Theresa Hitchens, Director of the Center for Defense Information, discuss the implications that the U.S. takedown of a malfunctioning satellite have for a potential arms race in space.
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Did the United States test an anti-satellite weapon when it “shot down” an out-of-control spy satellite earlier this month? Or was it a precautionary measure to protect people on the ground who might have been hit with a fuel tank filled with a poisonous gas?
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The 1967 Outer Space Treaty designated space for peaceful purposes as “the province of all mankind.” Virtually all spacefaring nations now favor a new treaty to accommodate major changes in geopolitics and military technology. The United States, however, has blocked negotiations, citing potential threats to U.S. “rights, capabilities, and freedom of action.”
The late Michael Crichton, author of “Jurassic Park” and “State of Fear,” along with a panel of distinguished scientists, examine the increasing politicization of science.
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