More than 34,000 American citizens signed an online petition within a month of its submission, which argued that creation of a Death Star can strengthen the national defense system and can spur job creations in multiple fields such as engineering, construction, space exploration etc. The "We the People" platform offered by the White House allows people to submit petitions and every submission that crosses 25,000 signatures receives an official response.
The official response included three major points. It said the construction of a Death Star is estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. The government said it is focusing to reduce the deficit at this time of economic uncertainties and not to expand it. Secondly, the government said it does not support blowing up planets. Thirdly, the Obama administration conveyed a clear message that it is in no mood to spend "countless taxpayer dollars" on a Death Star "with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship."
The Chief of Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget, Paul Shawcross, outlined the American space policy in the official response highlighting that the world already has a football field-sized International Space Station, which is currently orbiting Earth with six astronauts. "We don't have a Death Star, but we do have floating robot assistants on the Space Station, a President who knows his way around a light saber and advanced (marshmallow) cannon, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is supporting research on building Luke's arm, floating droids, and quadruped walkers," Shawcross wrote.
