Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ames.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!hao!hplabs!nsc!ames!al From: al@ames.UUCP (Al Globus) Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Space for Peace Message-ID: <554@ames.UUCP> Date: Tue, 9-Oct-84 20:55:56 EDT Article-I.D.: ames.554 Posted: Tue Oct 9 20:55:56 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 12-Oct-84 06:44:01 EDT Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA Lines: 31 I have the beginings of a plan that I believe could make a real dent in the warlike tendencies of the human race. It's based on the assumtion, supported by our experience during Vietnam, that if people see REAL WAR in their livingrooms on a daily basis they will be less likely to fight one. First element: three direct broadcast satellites with TV coverage of the entire globe and enough power to overcome jamming (say, 100 Megawatts). Expensive, but feasible. Second element: Portable tv cameras that can communicate directly with the satellites. Remember that the enormous power of the satellites reduces the power requirements of the cameras for communication. These cameras are carried by hand, or on remote piloted vehicles (used by Israel to waste Syria), or on long endurance aircraft (such as the one Lockheed is building), or on low Earth orbit satellites. In any case, they take pictures of the wars going on and ship the images to the satellites for editing and broadcasting. People will watch as examination of the news shows indicates. The thing is that war, John Wayne style, is a wonderful thing. People have been conditioned to regard war as a noble endevor for millenia. The real facts of matter, however, is that war is miserable, boring, painful, and deadly. If this point was brought to everyones attention in the form of direct observation of the actual conduct of war, I believe that it would be much more difficult to whip people into war fever. This system will not work if star wars is built. The critical communication satellites will be knocked out by one or both of the super powers. If the system was in place today, however, it would be essentially unstopable since no weapon system is capable of taking out satellites in geosynchronous orbit.