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From: eder@ssc-vax.UUCP
Newsgroups: fa.arms-d
Subject: Re: Arms-Discussion Digest V2 #61
Message-ID: <141@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 6-Oct-84 20:55:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.141
Posted: Sat Oct  6 20:55:23 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 7-Oct-84 09:10:56 EDT
References: <2321@ucbvax.ARPA>
Organization: Boeing Aerospace Co., Seattle, WA
Lines: 31

>     	inaccurate statements of what "can never work" leaves SW opponents
C3,SS8o,CC,CS,G4
> 
> As well you should;  these articles are at least in part editorializing by
> the authors (as any politically loaded articles tend to be).  One must also
> realize that S.A. doesn't have a science staff which researches these
> articles to insure that they are totally factual (this would not be
> reasonable given the breadth of their publication), but rather publishes
> articles written by outside "experts."  The problem is that there is no such
> thing as an unbiased expert in Military Weaponry, let alone such a volatile
> field as Space Based Weaponry.
> 
>        A minor but obvious example is the statement that a power plant,
> [End of ARMS-D Digest]

     I beg to differ.  Having recently worked on the Space Based Laser System
Concept  Study at Boeing, I can state that there are UNBIASED experts on space
weapons.  I have worked with several.  Among the tasks of this study was to
determine exactly what technologies needed development, and how much development
they needed.  No we cannot build an effective SBL now.  We think, given R&D
in progress, that we will probably be able to some number of years in the
future. It WILL be expensive.

     One problem with working in the field, is that much of it is classified.
Hence, I cannot give specifics.  I cannot even point out the mistakes in the
Scientific American article (there are several).  Sigh.  As long as the 
Strategic Defense programs are classified, the public (arms digest included)
will be using innaccurate data, and there can be no 'review by experts'.

Dani Eder / Boeing Aerospace Company / uw-beaver!ssc-vax!eder / (206)773-4545