Late on a Friday afternoon before the long, Columbus Day weekend, the White House released the first updated space policy in 10 years. The Washington Post ran the story two days ago. It was a stealthy move that brought a long-simmering debate back into the open. Should space be governed by international treaties, or should the US seize the moment to pre-empt an arms race that's all but inevitable? The Bush Administration insists it is not advocating weapons in space, but critics say the new policy is more belligerent than it should be. Others complain that it's not aggressive enough to take advantage of American superiority while there’s still time.
President Bush's New National Space Policy
Credits
Guests:
- Nancy Gallagher - Assoc Research Dir at the Cntr for International & Security Affairs at the University of Maryland
- Baker Spring - Research Fellow in National Security Policy at the Heritage Foundation
- Laura Grego - Astrophysicist/staff scientist in Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists
- Everett Dolman - Professor of Comparative Military Studies at the US Airforce School of Advanced Air/Space Sutides