News US is not building a Death Star

[Dickie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20997144

Spoil sports! Reckon they'd consider an XR2 project instead...?

 

[Ghostrider]

This is a disgrace! We cannot allow a Death Star Gap!:lol:

 

[MattBaker]

The costs would be the US military budget of 1.2 million years, since there's no need for a military if you have a (incomplete) deathstar.
I think the time we'd need to get the steel for it (with the help of nuclear physics?) would take the same time, so we're good.
And I'd expect Americans to be smart enough to fix the flaw of the Deathstar, additionally I don't believe that the only real challenger in space, the Russians, can use the force while being drunk (stereotypes against Russians, check).

But you are the victim of a classical :ninja:

 

[statickid]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1CWRF1qhAI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

It wasn't a design flaw!

 

[Capt_hensley]

Sadly disappointing! Not Suprising.

 

[statickid]

Let's start a new petition! Cloud city @ Jupiter!

 

[boogabooga]

What's the point? The 9000 nuclear weapons that are here now can accomplish the same goal.

 

[statickid]

What's the point? The 9000 nuclear weapons that are here now can accomplish the same goal.

Nuclear weapons aren't as cool. Remember its shock and awe that counts not effectiveness.

 

[MattBaker]

Or we'll petition NASA to build Coruscant on Mars.

Just the math: Let's say we cover 90% of the planet with a city (I think it was said the poles were left empty because that's where the water comes from). If we look at the populations density of the 10 most populous cities in the US we end up between 1,000 per square kilometer (Phoenix) and 10,430 (NYC). But to me LA and Chicago seem to have a nice population density for this with 3,000/4,500, so I'll calculate with 4,000 capitas per km².
According to Wikipedia Mars has a surface area of roughly 145 million square kilometers, so we end up with a populated area of 130 million. And with a density of 4,000 people we would end up with 520 billion inhabitants or more than 70 times Earth's population on an area that's 0.28 Earths.

And just to wreck every dream of such a planet: If everyone wants to have the same quality of life like on Earth (they probably want a better one) they'll probably consume as much food as Earth. In the EU25 everyone eats 44 kilograms of pork per year, so we end up with roughly 23 billion tons for the whole planet per year or 63 million tons per day.
If no one would care what part of the pig he just ate we would get 150 lbs from one pig, let's calculate with 70 kilograms because that's easier, some of our Coruscantians (?) like brains. So every day this planet consumes 900 million (!!!!!!) pigs. That's roughly the number of every pig on Earth, where we still have space to keep them.

So we kinda get that this could become hard. But Coruscant is a lot bigger than Mars and the official census of Coruscant speaks of 1 trillion inhabitants, twice the number of Mars-Coruscant...

Still more realistic than a Death Star?

---------- Post added at 12:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:08 AM ----------

And just mind that we just populated 90% of Mars. There are houses on Mount Olympus, there are houses in Valles Marineris etc.

 

[Kyle]

And then... a giant solar flare comes through and kills every single one of them.

 

[Codz]

What's the point? The 9000 nuclear weapons that are here now can accomplish the same goal.

Actually, no. The US currently has 2200 nuclear warheads with 851 delivery vehicles. That is enough to seriously disrupt global society, and cause serious climate change, but not nearly enough for planetary destruction, even if you're just talking about humans.

 

[Quick_Nick]

Actually, no. The US currently has 2200 nuclear warheads with 851 delivery vehicles. That is enough to seriously disrupt global society, and cause serious climate change, but not nearly enough for planetary destruction, even if you're just talking about humans.

It depends how you look at it.
From Wikipedia: "From a high of 65,000 active weapons in 1985, there are now some 4,100 active nuclear warheads and some 17,000 total nuclear warheads in the world in 2012. Many of the decommissioned weapons were simply stored or partially dismantled, not destroyed."
If you put all nuclear warheads in a room (or a few rooms around the world) and set them off, I'm sure it would have a pretty significant effect.
However, the Death Star has the energy to completely counter gravity, splitting a planet into pieces flying apart. Even our moon's formation couldn't do that.

 

[Codz]

It depends how you look at it.
From Wikipedia: "From a high of 65,000 active weapons in 1985, there are now some 4,100 active nuclear warheads and some 17,000 total nuclear warheads in the world in 2012. Many of the decommissioned weapons were simply stored or partially dismantled, not destroyed."
If you put all nuclear warheads in a room (or a few rooms around the world) and set them off, I'm sure it would have a pretty significant effect.
However, the Death Star has the energy to completely counter gravity, splitting a planet into pieces flying apart. Even our moon's formation couldn't do that.

Consider this; 2,052 nuclear weapons have been detonated over the course of history. The world is still very much intact.

 

[Evil_Onyx]

Consider this; 2,052 nuclear weapons have been detonated over the course of history. The world is still very much intact.

But not at the same time...

 

[Codz]

But not at the same time...

But still within 50 years of eachother.

 

[Cras]

ANYWAY

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20997144

Spoil sports! Reckon they'd consider an XR2 project instead...?

I am all for this!! So that is two signatures down. How many more to go?

 

[Urwumpe]

But still within 50 years of eachother.

But mostly underground.

 

[T.Neo]

If you put all nuclear warheads in a room (or a few rooms around the world) and set them off, I'm sure it would have a pretty significant effect.

Even if each of those warheads was a full megaton, it would still be nearly 6000 times less in terms of total yield than the K-T impact. Of course, the way the weapons are distributed could heavily determine the nature of the secondary effects, and asteroids do not produce fallout, but the K-T impact did not come anywhere near destroying Earth.

On the other hand, the amount of energy that would have to be produced by a Death Star has been estimated by geeks on the internet to be absolutely huge. A yield a tiny fraction of that required to destroy a planet could wreak utter destruction. A weapon with a tiny fraction of the Death Star's yield would have the tiny fraction of the Death Star's mass, and presumably also a tiny fraction of the Death Star's cost...

Let's start a new petition! Cloud city @ Jupiter!

The fares to Venus are cheaper and it's warmer there anyway.

 

[Urwumpe]

Why don't we make a petition that the USA should build Station V in Earth Orbit? And/Or maybe Clavius Base.

 

[garyw]

Galatic Imperial Power Press Release

Planet Earth Abandons Death Star Project In Face Of Superior Galactic Imperial Power

IMPERIAL CENTER, CORUSCANT – The overwhelming military superiority of the Galactic Empire has been confirmed once again by the recent announcement by the President of the United States that his nation would not attempt to build a Death Star, despite the bellicose demands of the people of his tiny, aggressive planet. “It is doubtless that such a technological terror in the hands of so primitive a world would be used to upset the peace and sanctity of the citizens of the Galactic Empire,“ said Governor Wilhuff Tarkin of the Outer Rim Territories. “Such destructive power can only be wielded to protect and defend by so enlightened a leader as Emperor Palpatine.”

Representatives on behalf of the nation-state leader from the unimaginatively named planet refused to acknowledge the obvious cowardice of their choice, preferring instead to attribute the decision to fiscal responsibility. “The costs of construction they cited were ridiculously overestimated, though I suppose we must keep in mind that this miniscule planet does not have our massive means of production,” added Admiral Conan Motti of the Imperial Starfleet.

Emissaries of the Emperor also caution any seditious elements within the Galactic Senate not to believe Earth’s exaggerated claims of there being a weakness in the Death Star design. “Any attacks made upon such a station — should one ever be built — would be a useless gesture,” added Motti.

Source: http://starwarsblog.starwars.com/in...-in-face-of-superior-galactic-imperial-power/