The Case for Space Defense
When President Ronald Reagan created the Strategic Defense Initiative in 1983, he challenged the nation to build effective missile defenses. Critics labeled the initiative 'Star Wars,' to which Reagan responded that 'it isn't about war; it's about peace. It isn't about retaliation; it's about prevention. It isn't about fear; it's about hope.'
Central to that vision was a space-based layer of interceptors capable of destroying ballistic missiles in early flight. The concept became real in the form of Brilliant Pebbles—small, autonomous interceptors orbiting relatively close to Earth and designed to collide with missiles at incredible speeds.
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