Death Star

In a memo titled "This Isn't the Petition Response You're Looking For," the Obama White House formally (and finally!) responded today to a petition asking to secure the resources to begin construction on a Death Star by 2016. Sorry, Dark Side supporters, but the administration's view is clear: it "does not support blowing up planets."

As we (and the White House) know, the real cost of building a Death Star is so high, it has 15 zeroes attached, and, for practicality's sake alone, that's one project that will not be getting the green light this year.

But that's not all! Cheekiness aside, the White House used this petition response as an opportunity to remind us of all the great space programs that are currently underway. There's the International Space Station, robots on Mars, telescopes discovering new planets, and prospects of manned missions to the moon this decade — exciting times, no matter which side of the Force you're on.

The greatest lesson, though, comes at the close of the memo: "If you do pursue a career in a science, technology, engineering or math-related field, the Force will be with us! Remember, the Death Star's power to destroy a planet, or even a whole star system, is insignificant next to the power of the Force."

Take heed, future Jedis of America, and get studying!

Want to a Death Star to call your own and to preside over galactic domination? That'll be a cool $852,000,000,000,000,000. According to a group of Lehigh University economics students who calculated the total, that's 13,000 times the world's entire gross domestic product.

The student team researched all necessary business practicalities in determining the real-world cost of the Empire's famous weapon. The Death Star's size and mass was compared to a modern-day battleship since they would both be built of steel. A planet-sized weapon like the Death Star is estimated to be much, much larger than a naval ship on Earth. Plentiful raw material is crucial for Death Star fabrication — however, finding enough steel on this planet is unlikely. According to the Lehigh students, at today's steel production rate, it would take over 833,000 years to produce enough to steel to start the project.

Thankfully, for those on the side of the Rebel Alliance, the Death Star remains a work of fiction.

Picture Source: Etsy User Harshness

It seems like just yesterday I was making my own Rick Roll costume, and preparing my Pac-Man pumpkins for carving. I've been known to plan pretty far ahead when I have a great costume idea, and thanks to this creative geek, I may decide to make myself into a space station this year. But not just any space station — the Death Star.

With just a few ingredients — a large balloon, newspaper, a sharpie, paint, and a lot of crafty instincts — you can make your own Star Wars Death Star. Now if someone would just take the time to DIY a few Jedi Speed and TIE Fighters, we could be in business. Get the full step-by-step instructions here, and check out a few more Star Wars themed costumes after the break.