Parallels in The Real World
The SDI systems discussed in the book are based on real-world systems. In the book, satellite photos are shown of the Dushanbe Complex called "Bright Star" in the novel. These images are of an actual then-Soviet mountaintop site of disputed function. The Soviet government claimed that the site was an imaging station for optically tracking space objects, while Western experts believed it was a site built to employ directed-energy weapons against space based targets. The site is referenced in the Federation of American Scientist's Space Policy Project Special Weapons Monitor section.
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