Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!ucbvax!space
From: Slocum@HI-MULTICS.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: SDI and NASA budgets
Message-ID: <860214150311.635801@HI-MULTICS.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 14-Feb-86 10:03:00 EST
Article-I.D.: HI-MULTI.860214150311.635801
Posted: Fri Feb 14 10:03:00 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Feb-86 04:14:06 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 15

Unfortunately, there is a fallacy that money for SDI is going towards
space development.  Most of the money goes into research into high
energy physics, such as the nuclear-pumped X-ray laser, the neutral
particle beam, the charged particle beam, etc.  As far as I know, very
little if any is going into space oriented design, except for such
things as orbiting mirrors to bounce lasers.  One area that is sorely
lacking in the SDI budget is software, which I thinkis is going to be
the most important.  What good is a high powered laser that can't hit
anything because the computer is down?

BTW, I never said that money that doesn't go to SDI would go to NASA.  I
said "Wouldn't it be nice if ...".

    Brett Slocum
    (Slocum@HI-MULTICS.ARPA)