Star Wars Fans Think NASA Wants to Turn the Moon Into a Death Star

In the more than 40 years since the debut of Star Wars: A New Hope, a number of pieces of technology seen in the franchise have gone on to influence actual pieces of hardware, with president Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative even earning the nickname of the "Star Wars program" in honor of the films. NASA recently unveiled a proposal to build a telescope on the far side of the Moon that would offer advantages over other types of telescopes the organization already has at its disposal, though an artists' rendering of the telescope has some Star Wars convinced that NASA wants to build a Death Star.

As seen in the above artwork, the green grid bears a striking resemblance to the famous laser that emerged from the Death Star's signature disc, which ignites the comparison between the proposed telescope and the devastating battle station.

Scroll down to see what Star Wars fans are saying about the proposed telescope and head to NASA's official website to learn more about the project.