NASA Reveals How To Build Death Star

With Star Wars set to hit silver screens across the globe in a matter of days, space buffs are getting seriously excited. And it’s not just everyday movie goers that are enthused at the thought of the latest instalment of the legendary series. The chief engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is also on the Star Wars bandwagon, conducting his own research into the possibilities of creating a real life Death Star.

NASA vs the Dark Side

While the Empire did make a valiant effort, NASA’s Brian Muirhead maintains that its plans weren’t technically up to par. As head of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he claims that the space weapon could have been engineered to higher standards.

So what exactly is he trying to say? According to Muirhead, instead of building the Death star from scratch, the Dark Side could have constructed the deadly planet destroying weapon on top of existing galactic matter. Solid foundations are central to any optimised engineering project, which means that Darth Vader and his cronies should have considered building the Death Star on a pre-existing asteroid. Not only would this support the colossal weight of the structure, but it would also provide all the necessary resources for inhabitants to survive.

“It could provide the metals. You have organic compounds; you have water – all the building blocks you would need to build your family Death Star,” explains Muirhead.

The latest news from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

While some may think Muirhead is being a little far-fetched, he definitely knows what he’s talking about. As leader of the ultra-advanced Asteroid Redirect Mission, he’s 100% clued up when it comes to optimising the construction and operation of space crafts. Of course, rather than destroying planets NASA’s latest mission is to successfully land a robot on an asteroid. The robot will then secure a boulder which will then be released into orbit around the moon. According to the official mission website, the “robotic mission also will demonstrate planetary defence techniques to deflect dangerous asteroids and protect Earth if needed in the future.”

Plenty of space related revelations have come to light in 2015, with water on Mars on of the most high profile theories. Should space scientists find proof, thermal imaging cameras could be used to find out more about H2O on the Red Planet. Find out more about the technology in ‘Thermal Imaging Cameras Help Researchers Study Ice Nucleation and Ice Propagation in Plants.’

Image via Flickr Creative Commons. Credits: Serious Cat