(Also at http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/milspace-00c.html)
CONTACT: Bruce Gagnon (352) 337-9274, 28th January 2000
The primary mission of Endeavour will be an 11-day radar Earth topology
mapping mission that will provide high resolution 3-dimensional maps for 80%
of the Earth's surface.
Few in the corporate dominated media though are discussing the fact that the
Pentagon gave NASA over $200 million for the shuttle flight. Most of the
high resolution maps created by the mission will be classified "TOP SECRET"
and will be under the control of the military.
"This mission is just one more example of the steady and dramatic takeover
of the space program by the Pentagon," said Bruce Gagnon, Coordinator of the
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space. "While the public
is being fed the usual hype about international astronauts, high-tech feats,
and rocket launch fireworks we witness the consolidation of military
control of the space program and there is hardly a peep out of anyone. NASA
was set up ostensibly as a civilian agency for 'peaceful space exploration'
in 1958 and this violates their charter."
With state-of-the-art high resolution maps from the Endeavour mission the
Pentagon will increase their ability to identify and hit targets virtually
anywhere on the planet via space technology. Through this "global view" the
Pentagon and their corporate allies will ensure "global dominance" which
they outline in U.S. Space Command documents like "Vision for 2020".
It is this space "control and dominance" agenda that is driving the U.S. to
force the deployment of new space-based weapons systems which will create
global repercussions and will eventually lead to a costly and deadly arms
race in space.
(See also: NASA's explanation of mapping mission
The space shuttle Endeavour, now scheduled for launch on January 31 from
Cape Canaveral, is one more visible sign of the military takeover of the
so-called "civilian" space program.
the JPL site for the SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topology Mission))