laser – Behind The Black – Robert Zimmerman

A high energy laser beam destroys a rocket from a distance of a little less than a mile.

May 10, 2013 9:38 am Robert Zimmerman

A high energy laser beam destroys a rocket from a distance of a little less than a mile.

Reagan was right: His proposed SDI laser-based defense system was a reasonable proposal, despite the ridicule of the leftwing elites in the 1980s. I have posted the video of this test below the fold.
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Earth spacecraft on Mars fires its laser for the first time.

August 19, 2012 2:59 pm Robert Zimmerman

War of the Worlds! The Earth invading spacecraft on Mars has fired its laser for the first time!

Forgive me the hyperbole. I have this childhood vision from that moment when I first read H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, when the Martian tripod first rose up and fired its death ray at a crowd of curious humans. And here we are, a century after Wells penned that classic science fiction novel, and humans have put a spacecraft on Mars, Curiosity, capable of firing lasers! The laser isn’t a death ray but a scientific tool, but nonetheless the ironies remain delicious.

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Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have achieved a record-setting laser shot with a peak power of 500 trillion-watts to a target of just two millimeters in diameter.

July 14, 2012 9:24 am Robert Zimmerman

Don’t use this as a laser pointer: Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have achieved a record-setting laser shot with a peak power of 500 trillion-watts to a target of just two millimeters in diameter.

Puffer fish chases laser

April 17, 2012 6:01 pm Robert Zimmerman

An evening pause: Cats aren’t the only ones.

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A laser so powerful that astronauts could see it, all for under $300

September 7, 2011 12:50 am Robert Zimmerman

A $300 laser so powerful that astronauts could see it. Safety glasses included!