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todaysdocument:

A Call for A Bold Defense: the Strategic Defense Initiative, aka “Star Wars”

Thirty years ago, on March 23, 1983,  President Ronald Reagan publicly revealed his Strategic Defense Initiative proposal in a televised address.  Portrayed as an alternative to the existing “Mutually Assured Destruction” (“MAD”) doctrine of nuclear deterrence, the ambitious nuclear missile defense system was also criticized as costly and implausible, derisively referred to as “Star Wars”.  The program greatly accelerated U.S. satellite research but led to one of the final escalations of the Cold War with the Soviet Union.

This draft of the speech incorporates edits and comments by President Reagan.

• A Call for a Bold Defense (3/23/83 10:30am draft), 03/23/1983; ARC Identifier 198415; Collection RR-SMOF: White House Staff and Office Collections, 01/20/1981 - 01/20/1989
• An artist’s concept of a ground/space-based hybrid laser weapon, 10/18/1984; ARC Identifier 6389105; Record Group 330: Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, 1921 - 2008
• An artist’s concept of a ground/space-based hybrid laser weapon, 10/18/1984; ARC Identifier 6389105; Record Group 330: Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, 1921 - 2008

via DocsTeach

Filed for Galactic Encounters. (Although that’s more about the other sort of Star Wars, it’s good to know what sort of weapons the Earth Fleet would bring to the Rebellion at this point in time.)

In the Shadow of the Moon reviewed by a Stormtrooper. Hilarious and very much in the spirit of Galactic Encounters.

temporallydisplacedrocketman:

Early concept art of Space Station Freedom, ranging from the 1980’s to the 1990’s. 

I’m so used to thinking of it as Space Station Overlook from my Galactic Encounters series that my brain actually said “It’s Overlook!” upon seeing this art instead of “It’s Freedom!”

complex34:

temporallydisplacedrocketman:

crookedindifference:

Rear view of the Buran spacecraft, the Soviet Space Shuttle.

The Soviet Space Shuttle always fascinated me. The rear was the biggest difference between itself and the American original.

From this angle the tiles on the tail make it look like a wonderful 8-bit video game ship.

It has a much more sci-fi-looking end. 

Galactic Encounters/

Because it was built later with the integration of Rebellion technology planned from the beginning.

/Galactic Encounters

ubergrid:

Salyut-9 (by povorot)

“What might a soviet orbital laser have actually looked like? And what if one had actually been secretly launched in the late eighties?”

Reblogging as a reference for Galactic Encounters…

(via itsfullofstars)

asonlynasacan:

Moar Squishy Dr. Joseph Peter Kerwin, USN, explaining important scientific stuff on NBC prior to the STS-1 launch. Here he explains the shuttle’s computer systems like a boss.

I love watching these. Someday when I learn to video edit, I will splice together a trailer for Galactic Encounters from this old news footage. Someday. 

Not related to, but some of my coworkers are Alderaanian. What a dark day…

(via wedgeantilles)

spaceandstuffidk:

Another Space Shuttle Launch Photo of the Day: We’ve already seen a view of this morning’s Space Shuttle Endeavour launch from above the clouds, but this shot from the ground by Trey Ratcliffe gives a whole other perspective.

I take back what I said about the crowd at the launch site being jealous they didn’t see the show from a plane. This view is even cooler.

One question, though: where will the shuttle end up when it comes out the blue portal on the other side?

[gizmodo / photo: @treyratcliffe]

HNNNNNNGGGGGGG

 Endor. Trust me on this.

whizbangpow:

Elson

Is this guys in MMUs checking out a Star Destroyer? Because some of the details look a little off, so I’m not sure. But if it is, that would be awesome.

(via mission-to-mars-deactivated2011)

I really want to know what was said five seconds before this picture was snapped. Because the facial expressions make me think it must have been something really weird. All I can do is guess…

/Galactic Encounters/

“The Blanchard Commission recommends modifying the shuttle with technology provided by the Alliance so that we may better aid them.”

“They can’t be serious.”

/Galactic Encounters/