Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space – 2005-05-14 11:43:52
ACTION ALERT: Rep. McKinney Tries to Defund Nuclear Rocket
On May 5, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to all members of Congress urging them to join her in an effort to defund Project Prometheus, the nuclear rocket. See her letters at this link: www.space4peace.org/articles/cynthis_mckinney.pdf
In the letter, Rep. McKinney says, “I write to invite you to join me as a co-signer on the two attached letters. They are intended to protect our citizens from the potential of a catastrophic nuclear accident posed by the Prometheus Project, a NASA/DoE/Pentagon program to develop and deploy a nuclear propulsion rocket.”
“The first letter is directed to the office that will prepare the Preliminary Environmental Impact Statement for the Prometheus Program. The second letter is to express the support of Members of Congress for shifting Federal funding from the development of nuclear propulsion systems to research and development for solar and other alternative energy systems that can support our space program.”
This effort by Rep. McKinney is a crucial step in the effort to ensure that we stop the nuclearization of space. In addition, it is the nuclear rocket that could be used to power weapons in space like the space-based laser so it is also a vital step in ensuring that we cut-off the power source for the weaponization of space.
(In a study Commissioned by Congress called Military Space Forces: The Next 50 Years, staffer John Collins reported that “Nuclear reactors thus remain the only known long-lived, compact source able to supply military space forces with electric power…. Larger versions could meet multimegawatt needs of space-based lasers….. Nuclear reactors must support major bases on the moon until better options, yet unidentified, become available.”)
We urge all our affiliate members and supporters to immediately call your Congressperson in Washington DC and request that they contact Rep. McKinney’s office to become a cosigner of her letter calling for the defunding of the nuclear rocket. Please call the Congressional switchboard right away at (202) 224-3121 and ask for the office of your Congressional representative.
Please help us by passing this e-mail on to your personal lists so that we can expand the numbers of people who see it. Call me if you have any questions.
It is not often that we get Congressional support to end the arms race in space. We don’t want to let Rep. McKinney down! Please act today.
Bruce K. Gagnon is the Coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, PO Box 652, Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 729-0517, (207) 319-2017 (Cell phone)
globalnet@mindspring.com
http://www.space4peace.org
http://space4peace.blogspot.com
