Salvage.

This is coolbert:

"they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more". - - Isaiah 2:4

An extract with some commentary from the J.R. Mooneyham Internet web site, those items with a military dimension.

As originally was proposed by J.R. Mooneyham in 1992. Dated and not futuristic but still interesting. Never heard of this before either. George H.W. Bush the President Bush in this specific instance.

As was dated 12- 27- 92 the ICBM Salvage Proposal!

Military missiles [ICBM] to be taken out of operational status and tuned into ink pens? A result of the peace dividend as was spoken about in the aftermath of the collapse and dissolution of the old Soviet Union.

"I [J.R.] came up with the ICBM Salvage Proposal in a fit of anger and disbelief, sparked by a CNN Headline News report I saw on or about Oct. 18, 1991. The report said the Bush administration had proposed melting down all the ICBMs into ink pens for charity".

1. "More on Bush’s Plan by J.R. Mooneyham"

"NASA admits recycling the ICBMs could work; but they're opposed to the idea anyway:"

Intercontinental-ballistic-missile [ICBM] the large numbers of which not needed for deterrent as was necessary during the Cold War not reduced to scrap and made into ballpoint pens but rather boosting into orbit space stations of the Skylab variety.

2. "More on the Rational Plan by J.R. Mooneyham"

"2,400 ICBMs could put into orbit an estimated 3, 000 tons of assorted satellites, robotic platforms, or space station components within the next three to six years, at a huge discount over the past. This would be roughly the equivalent of thirty Skylabs*, each equipped with its own Apollo class command/ service module."

Skylab space stations as existed at the time [1992]. Dozens of these spacecraft could have been placed into orbit, the benefits to the human species quite large.

"About forty percent of these missiles are in the U.S. arsenal. The rest are in the Soviet store. The Soviets are in desperate need of hard currency. Therefore, it would make sense for America and Western Europe to 'buy' the Soviet missiles for their own use".

* "The greatest historic obstacle to space exploitation has now been removed"

* "Orbiting factories could give national Earth-side installations an edge over foreign competitors"

* "A long term boost to global economic growth and technological innovation"

* "A way to ease the conversion of defense industries to consumer oriented markets"

Sadly it did not come to pass!

coolbert.