3D Mapping

Pentagon Funds Global 3D Mapping Mission
Space Daily, January 31, 2000
Opinion by Bruce Gagnon

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 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. 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.

Bruce K. Gagnon is coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space based in Gainesville, Fl.