Today the White House denied a citizen petition to build a Death Star, wryly questioning why the U.S. should spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship. The petition was submitted in November by a “John D.” as part of the “We the People” petition program, and gathered the 25,000 signatures necessary to receive a response from the White House.
In addition to the fatal flaw of the exhaust port, the response by Paul Shawcross, Chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget estimated that a Death Star would cost $850,000,000,000,000,000, and said the Administration is working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it. Shawcross also noted the White House does not support blowing up planets.
The response put a positive spin on things by emphasizing the actual space programs the U.S. sponsors, including the International Space Station and two Mars rovers, as well as research programs like Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is supporting research on building Luke's arm, floating droids, and quadruped walkers. Space exploration is also being pursued in the private sector, with private American companies ferrying cargo to space for NASA and working on human missions to the Moon.
Picking up on the petition’s mention of job creation, Shawcross urged the petitioner to help build the future by pursuing a career in a science, technology, engineering or math-related field. Remember, wrote the senior official, the Death Star's power to destroy a planet, or even a whole star system, is insignificant next to the power of the Force.
Comments