Press Release
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Father and Daughter Propose Launching 'Peace Star' Satellite

South Bend, In. -Jon Maxey, Co-founder of Bright Light Inc., an organization that provides humanitarian aid for third world nations, and daughter Angela, a student at the University of Notre Dame, have conceived an ambitious plan to focus attention on world peace. The Maxeys envision the International Peace Star, a large inflatable earth-orbiting reflective sphere as a constant reminder of the beauty that surrounds us and the importance of peace to our future.  www.thepeacestar.org

"Many nights when I return home from work," says Jon Maxey, "I stop to look into a sky full of stars. I usually have the same thought: we all share this magnificent sight, regardless of the differences that separate us. We are all connected and part of something much bigger. We share a responsibility to the future that we often fail to fully appreciate. But how can we get everyone to look up into the sky and think a little more about the importance of a peaceful future?"

Together, the father-daughter team drafted the "International Peace Star Plan" comprising two main components:

First, "The International Peace Star", which envisions launching into orbit a glimmering 142-foot beacon that transcends race, nationality, and culture. "When placed in a near-equatorial orbit", says Jon, "the balloon-like sphere will remain circling above Earth's surface as a constant reminder of our shared dream for peace."

Second, "The International Peace Superfund", an unprecedented effort to provide the resources to help people lift themselves from the hopelessness of profound poverty through self-sufficiency, education, and free market principles. Funding would be gathered by redirecting a fraction of the defense budgets of the world's developed countries. See: Peacestar Defence Waste Reduction Initiative.

The project has caught the interest of U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, and General Motors Corp. CEO Richard Wagoner Jr. who have pledged support in various ways. An impressive list of supporters have contributed over the past two years.

The University of Michigan's Department of Aerospace Engineering has completed a directed study project for the design and feasibility of the Peace Star. The father and daughter team hope to deploy their inflatable satellite into orbit by "piggybacking" the payload on one of several commercial launch systems currently available. The satellites design, patterned after NASA's 60's era Echo Project is '' off the shelf" technology. The inflatable structure itself would cost about $600,000.

An 8-foot diameter prototype has been developed as a public relations visual. They hope to interest a Fortune 1000 company, university, foundation, or individual to sponsor the project.

The Maxeys are no strangers to raising awareness of social issues. In 1996, Angela earned an audience with then-President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office to present a "peace bomb" which when split in two, showered photos of Bosnian refugees. This demonstration was broadcast around the world from the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

With fellow Michigan activists Jim Flickinger and Robert Hiner, Jon Maxey has delivered more than $6,000,000 in aid to Third World nations, through a project the trio founded called Bright Light. They personally delivered the humanitarian aid to hospitals and refugee organizations, and never took a dime in salary, travel or administrative expenses.

A free e-book about The International Peace Star Project, and additional information can be found at www.thepeacestar.org 

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