White House Rejects Death Star Petition
BOSTON (CBS) - A petition to secure resources and funding, and to begin construction of a Death Star by 2016, has officially been rejected by the White House. Yes, seriously.
Of course, the Death Star is a fictional spacestation from the Star Wars movies.
Web Extra: The White House response
The petition submitted to the Obama Administration's "We the People" petition website received more than 34,000 signatures, far exceeding the 25,000 signatures within 30 days required for a White House response.
The official White House response was actually very detailed and fact-based.
"The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon," it stated.
The response, by Paul Shawcross, Chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget, cited a study that put the estimated cost of a Death Star at $850 quadrillion dollars, noting that the price tag would not help with deficit reduction.
"The Administration does not support blowing up planets," the response also noted.
The White House response, pointed to a number of accomplishments in outer space, noting the International Space Station, the Mars Rover, private space travel, and other space initiatives.
"Even though the United States doesn't have anything that can do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, we've got two spacecraft leaving the Solar System and we're building a probe that will fly to the exterior layers of the Sun."
