Father and Daughter Propose Launching 'Peace Star' Satellite

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich (PRnetwire.com)-- Jon Maxey, co-founder of Bright Light Inc., an organization that provides humanitarian aid for third-world nations, and 16-year-old daughter Angela, have conceived an ambitious strategy to focus attention on world peace called the International Peace Star Plan (www.thepeacestar.org). As part of this plan, 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

"Many nights when I return home after work, I stop to look into a sky full of stars," says Jon Maxey. "I usually have the same thought: We all share this magnificent sight, regardless of the differences that separate us. We all are 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 Project envisions launching into orbit a glimmering 142-foot beacon that transcends race, nationality and culture. "When placed in a near-equatorial orbit, the balloon-like sphere will remain circling above Earth's surface as a constant reminder of our shared dream for peace," Maxey explains.

--Second, The International Peace Superfund is 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.

The project has caught the interest of U.S. Senator Carl Levin and General Motors Corp. CEO Richard Wagoner Jr., who have pledged support in various ways.

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 cost to build and deploy the inflatable satellite into orbit is about $17 million. The structure itself would cost around $600,000, with the larger portion going toward the cost of launching the satellite into space. The design is patterned after NASA's Echo satellites that were launched during the '60s. An 8-foot-diameter prototype has been developed as a public-relations visual.  They hope to interest a Fortune 1000 company, 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.

With fellow Michigan activists Jim Flickinger and Robert Hiner, Jon Maxey has delivered more than $6 million 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 Plan, as well as additional information, can be found at www.thepeacestar.org.