U.S., Soviet Scientists to Meet at Vatican on Risks of a Space War
Twenty-five scientists from the United States, the Soviet Union and other countries will meet at the Vatican next week to debate what risks the world might face from a war in space.
The scientists, who will be joined by four Roman Catholic clergymen, will meet for four days under the auspices of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and submit a report to Pope John Paul II, Academy President Carlos Chagas said.
The first task of the meeting, he added, will be to assess how soon a strategic defensive system--”star wars” as it is popularly known--could become technically feasible and what threats a space conflict would pose to mankind.
The meeting comes two weeks after Washington and Moscow agreed to resume their stalled disarmament talks, including ways of preventing space warfare. However, Chagas said it had been planned since early November.
The Pontifical Academy, organized in its present form 48 years ago, draws on expert opinion from all over the world and keeps the Vatican informed on scientific issues.
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