Undoubtedly, the episode influenced Reagan’s administration. Once elected, he
implemented a wide range of geopolitical, economic and industrial initiatives. His
approach, later named Reaganomics,
37
increased the public deficit, reduced taxes,
deregulated the market and massively financed industries with impressive research
programs such as the star shield.
The concept behind the overarching SDI was truly revolutionary. It envisaged
an unprecedented network of space- and earth-based sensors integrated with
worldwide ground control centres. The network would have detected enemy
ICBM’s since take-off, followed them and guided massive countermeasures to
destroy them in the upper part of the atmosphere, far from the US soil. Such a
system had to be capable of exchanging an unthinkable amount of data every millisecond between Earth and space all over the planet. It seemed a real sciencefiction project, and its creation would have required unthinkable advancements in
electronics, materials, information technology and many other sectors, which
would have put the US ahead of any other nation in the world.
The Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev acknowledged the threat and tried to
implement a policy change, later named perestroika (“transparency”), to open up
Russia to western social and economic relationships. Several historic bilateral
meetings took place between Reagan and Gorbachev in Reykjavik between
October 11-12, 1986, which made the whole world hopeful for a peaceful future.
During one of these meetings, the Russian leader proposed a joint US-Russia mission to Mars,
38
but it was diplomatically rejected by Reagan. Gorbachev tried to
divert the US from building its space station, but it was too late. The hands of history had already moved on, and the Soviet Union no longer had enough resources
to compete. Just a few years later, in 1989, the Soviet Union collapsed.
The Cold War was over. Washington had challenged Moscow to keep up with a
revolutionary military program and its rival could not do it – despite the fact that
the star shield never materialized.
Before leaving the White House, Reagan issued a final directive on space
policy:
The fundamental objective that guides the US’s activities in space has been,
and will be, leadership. But this, in an increasingly competitive international
arena, does not necessarily require supremacy in all areas of space, but only
in those fundamental to achieving our national security, along with scientific, technical, economic and foreign policy objectives.
39
37
TIME Magazine, September 21, 1981, Vol. 118 No. 12.
38
Memorandum of Conversation. 1988. The President’s First one-on-one conversation with
General Secretary Gorbachev. http://www.margaretthatcher.org/archive/displaydocument.
asp?docid=110610.
39
White House, Office of the Press Secretary. 1988. Fact Sheet: Presidential Directive on
National Space Policy. In “Exploring the Unknown” by J. Logsdon.
48 Rocket Man: From The Space Shuttle to the International Space Station
implemented a wide range of geopolitical, economic and industrial initiatives. His
approach, later named Reaganomics,
37
increased the public deficit, reduced taxes,
deregulated the market and massively financed industries with impressive research
programs such as the star shield.
The concept behind the overarching SDI was truly revolutionary. It envisaged
an unprecedented network of space- and earth-based sensors integrated with
worldwide ground control centres. The network would have detected enemy
ICBM’s since take-off, followed them and guided massive countermeasures to
destroy them in the upper part of the atmosphere, far from the US soil. Such a
system had to be capable of exchanging an unthinkable amount of data every millisecond between Earth and space all over the planet. It seemed a real sciencefiction project, and its creation would have required unthinkable advancements in
electronics, materials, information technology and many other sectors, which
would have put the US ahead of any other nation in the world.
The Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev acknowledged the threat and tried to
implement a policy change, later named perestroika (“transparency”), to open up
Russia to western social and economic relationships. Several historic bilateral
meetings took place between Reagan and Gorbachev in Reykjavik between
October 11-12, 1986, which made the whole world hopeful for a peaceful future.
During one of these meetings, the Russian leader proposed a joint US-Russia mission to Mars,
38
but it was diplomatically rejected by Reagan. Gorbachev tried to
divert the US from building its space station, but it was too late. The hands of history had already moved on, and the Soviet Union no longer had enough resources
to compete. Just a few years later, in 1989, the Soviet Union collapsed.
The Cold War was over. Washington had challenged Moscow to keep up with a
revolutionary military program and its rival could not do it – despite the fact that
the star shield never materialized.
Before leaving the White House, Reagan issued a final directive on space
policy:
The fundamental objective that guides the US’s activities in space has been,
and will be, leadership. But this, in an increasingly competitive international
arena, does not necessarily require supremacy in all areas of space, but only
in those fundamental to achieving our national security, along with scientific, technical, economic and foreign policy objectives.
39
37
TIME Magazine, September 21, 1981, Vol. 118 No. 12.
38
Memorandum of Conversation. 1988. The President’s First one-on-one conversation with
General Secretary Gorbachev. http://www.margaretthatcher.org/archive/displaydocument.
asp?docid=110610.
39
White House, Office of the Press Secretary. 1988. Fact Sheet: Presidential Directive on
National Space Policy. In “Exploring the Unknown” by J. Logsdon.
48 Rocket Man: From The Space Shuttle to the International Space Station