Can the Laser Cannon be tuned to drill holes into the earth as an alternative to drill bits and shafts? My thought is YES, it could. It would drill straight assuming no reflective surfaces en route and drill fast so that going down several miles would be rapid, the molten soil and rock seeping off to the sides of the hole into more porous material perhaps creating a solid shaft so piping isn't needed. Pipe material and coating selections are difficult when dealing with soils' acids, caustics and very high temperatures and temperature changes internally and externally.

To what purpose? To tap geothermal energy from magma deep within the earth and bring it to the surface in the form of steam from circulated water and then use it to drive generators or heat buildings as happens now in Iceland.

Using a closed steam loop reduces Carbon Dioxide emissions to zero, something that no fossil fuels can claim. Using the steam in an open loop system reduces Carbon Dioxide emissions to 10% of what fossil fuels create.

Sorry, valprest, but that isn't really all that likely to work

As you vaporize the "dirt" (rock, whatever) it will create a gaseous form of the former dirt which will obscure the target from further heating. You might be able to do something by pulsing it, but the amount of energy needed to vaporize that much earth would be anything but trivial. You might be able to do something like this (maaaaybe) with a satellite and solar cells to drive it, but such a thing would be just as usable as a weapon and weaponizing space, while I'm sure it eventually will happen, isn't on anyone's "Hy, Great Idea!" list right now.

The other obvious issue is how, exactly, did you plan to maintain a constant position over the hole looking straight down? Might be doable with some sort of balloon/dirigible object, but even there you'd still need to secure it using lines over a fairly fixed location, something which has been one of the chief banes of lighter-than-air travel for a century now -- mooring and docking issues. A plane would be impractical for this, as it couldn't perform the sort of tight circle needed to keep the weapon even vaguely close to the vertical line required.

The application specified works well because you presumably don't need a sustained beam on-target, and, if you did, you can fly for more than a minute in the direction of the target object

Thanks OBloody Hell but I dismounted the drill and put it on an overhead crane so it wasn't flying. However I think the presence of water would be more of a problem than melting or spraying soil and rock. Thanks for your thoughts.

Val Prest

Oooooh, cool...If this thing can burn a hole thru a tank, think what it could do to an ammunition bunker...I was going with the idea of using microwave energy to set off the ammo, but this thing would work as well...Kinda hard to fight without ammo, I would think, plus it would be rather demoralizing to know that your own ammo is going to take you out of the action...Just a thought...

"If a bird flew into the firing laser’s line of sight— well, no more bird. Fortunately, the weapon will fire for only a few seconds at a time, minimizing the risk."

I'm glad we've minimized risk to small birds while frying human beings. I'll reset easier now!

tone

I'll admit the technology is cool and brings back memories of teenage sci-fi fantasies but there needs to be some perspective here. Sure, the author is clearly being politically correct to avoid the part about melting/boiling people in the process (never mind the birds). Everyone seems to think the soldiers are "just following orders" - just like our boys are and we are supposed to "support our troops" just as our opponents are supposed to support theirs. Everyone seems, conveniently, to forget the hypocrisies of their tepid mottos and slogans or did we all forget the typical Nazi soldier was also "following orders"? What has happened to personal accountability and doing the right thing at the right and wrong time? How about if all this energy and thought processes went into actually trying to find resolutions and peaceful solutions instead of Darth Vadering everyone to death? Think people. Think.

If I were a tank commander, I'd be checking my kit right now to make sure I had packed my shaving mirror!

5 miles away and 10000 feet high? You can take down that plane with a slingshot. To burn holes in a tank on the firing range no problem, to touch a "live" tank with all defence systems from 5 miles away sounds like a challenge.

Why not just mount a bunch of mirrors (not glass ones) on top of the tank?

Doesn't this sound like the plot of "Real Genius"?

Uh-huh. Nazis also ate,drank,slept,andsmoked, JUST LIKE OUR TROOPS. Does that mske war bad?

Coweater
They're what's for dinner, so just deal with it.

...okay, and mirrors are indestructable????? perhaps this would simply burn a hole through them with the intense heat? Okay, I admit my physics or metalurgy (sp?) skills are impaired with lack of education, BUT will a mirror reflect ANY and EVERY element of light without any possible damage to the mirror?
signed: I don't know!!

...so let me get this straight...if you were in combat and a enemy soldier points his rifle at you, you would ask him politely to 'please, pretty please, set your rifle down and don't shoot me'!??. Really? ...REALLY? You must not have an understanding of WAR. I am not concerned with a bird getting toasted, might be tasty, but I would definitely kill any enemy soldier and would not care if I used a bullet or a laser, but he WILL NOT be able to shoot back at me or any of my fellow soldiers or citizens, including you, now or later!!
God bless my side and NOT the enemy!!
Please think again and don't equate all soldiers with Nazi's. That is left-wing liberal nonsense.

War is bad, most reasonable people will agree. But in war, it is kill or be killed, so what does it matter if that killing is done with a bullet, bomb, or laser?

Semper Fi

I believe that the lazer could be used as an alternative to drill bits in oil drilling. If you put the lazer on the pipe line in the place of a drill bit it could drill much deeper and without having to worry about it breaking so that we could gain access to more energy.

I have to say, although I used to subscribe to the idea that military budgets were bloated and that we ought to be funneling more of that money into "good deeds" around the world, I don't necessarily agree with that anymore.

I'm hardly being "pro-war" here, but I am pointing out that evil is an abiding presence in the world, and you can't reason with it. I don't mean you can never reason with *people*, but I'm saying that evil will persist in different spots on the globe *all the time*, and sometimes it collects so much in one location that it explodes outward into other people's homes and nations, and those homes and nations must be defended.

And I think high-tech weaponry is especially important for having that much more of an advantage over our enemies, especially in light of the Islamisation of Europe now ongoing. If the Muslims eventually take over Europe through sheer numbers, North America will feel that much more grateful for having high-tech on their side.

First off, Muslims taking over Europe shouldn't be the motive behind advancing our military. Al-Qaeda taking over Europe is another story. And I agree with ad101867; spending on war technologies can have positive impacts on civilians, like radio and M&M's. I say let's use whatever we can to defend America and the American way of life.

Jack Hamilton

WOW!!!!!

Using a laser on the battlefield may be a good thing. Mounting it in a slow flying unarmed aircraft sounds like a really bad idea. In fact, after the US has spent billions to develop the technology we can look forward to our next opponent stealing the technology and mounting it inside a steel shipping container (conex box) and using it as a fairly effective antiaircraft weapon (especially against slow low flying C-130's trying to locate and destroy ground targets with their lasers).

After they've shot down a few planes with the shipping container AA system, they can just start moving empty shipping containers into an area to scare away attacking planes.

Keep working on the laser, but re-think that platform idea.

for actual deployment, the laser will probably be mounted on an armed aircraft...

This article mentioned 40,000 pounds of chemicals to power the laser. But what about free-electron lasers? Would'nt that save a lot of weight?
Also: if the prototype costs $200,000,000 why would it possibly see combat use "within five years". Would'nt that be a big risk?
Thirdly: the laser's fuel would be high-maintanance, which leads me to question its common usage, in addition to the above reasons.
That said, I still enjoyed this article a lot and thought it interesting.

Might be able to defeat the laser using various ablative coatings in combination with an applique armor (composite or laminated armor).

Ablative coatings and/or ceramics are used to protect surfaces and structural integrity from high temperature and erosion, e.g., Space Shuttle, missiles, rockets, and high speed aircraft, etc.

Great article.

Question: In which issue of the print edition of Popular Science was this published?

mylar- the laser version of kevlar

If the laser is emitting visible light only, what would happen if it hit a prism? Would you get a rainbow of lasers burning away in every direction?

Also, if a tank is painted white or a mirror chrome, will the laser be reflected?

scotteye-that is the best idea I have heard so far. If the US is going to mount a laser on any aircraft, armed or not, there is a chance of it falling into enemy hands. If they don't want that risk, they should,like, use your crate idea. The part about using the empty boxes to scare away planes was helarious.

c-ya l8r

If I had one of these I would use it on your FUCKING FACE

alexgumby

Article Rating: 003/18/08 at 11:20 am

"I'll admit the technology is cool and brings back memories of teenage sci-fi fantasies but there needs to be some perspective here. Sure, the author is clearly being politically correct to avoid the part about melting/boiling people in the process (never mind the birds). Everyone seems to think the soldiers are "just following orders" - just like our boys are and we are supposed to "support our troops" just as our opponents are supposed to support theirs. Everyone seems, conveniently, to forget the hypocrisies of their tepid mottos and slogans or did we all forget the typical Nazi soldier was also "following orders"? What has happened to personal accountability and doing the right thing at the right and wrong time? How about if all this energy and thought processes went into actually trying to find resolutions and peaceful solutions instead of Darth Vadering everyone to death? Think people. Think"

Ok, I am quoting your comment alexgumby to let you know that, for one, you can't compare a soldier defending his country from an evil dictator who wants to enslave and/or kill us all to a Nazi whos following that dictator. There is a huge difference between following orders to defend your family and country, and following orders to go kill innocent people, or put them in concentration camps or enslave others...your basically saying that we should look at the nazi's point of view, and sympathize with them that their fighting for their country. No, their not, their fighting for a dictator who thinks all jewish should be killed and that he should rule the world and enslave all other races except anyone whos white with blonde hair and blue eyes. Your argument doesn't bear any merit or purpose and I find it profoundly obtuse. It's as if your siding with the Nazi's, it's people like you that dont even deserve to be an american. The kind of thinking you do motivates people to act in such negative and sophimorical way, get a life.

Oh and FYI I am majoring in Laser physics, Astrophysics and Quantam Mechanics, currently in college right now, about to be on my 4th year. Mirrors wont stop that sort of laser. This is an advanced tactical laser used with pressurized nitrogen, as you can see in the display. Mirrors can stop Photonic crystal lasers, Semiconductor lasers, Excimer lasers and Chemical lasers, even Solid State Lasers.

All those beams are Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, and if you look closely, the beginning of each letter of that definition spells out LASER
The tactical laser their using though isn't stimulated emission of radiation, it uses pressurized nitrogen, again as you can see in the display.

alexgumby

Article Rating: 003/18/08 at 11:20 am

"I'll admit the technology is cool and brings back memories of teenage sci-fi fantasies but there needs to be some perspective here. Sure, the author is clearly being politically correct to avoid the part about melting/boiling people in the process (never mind the birds). Everyone seems to think the soldiers are "just following orders" - just like our boys are and we are supposed to "support our troops" just as our opponents are supposed to support theirs. Everyone seems, conveniently, to forget the hypocrisies of their tepid mottos and slogans or did we all forget the typical Nazi soldier was also "following orders"? What has happened to personal accountability and doing the right thing at the right and wrong time? How about if all this energy and thought processes went into actually trying to find resolutions and peaceful solutions instead of Darth Vadering everyone to death? Think people. Think"

Ok, I am quoting your comment alexgumby to let you know that, for one, you can't compare a soldier defending his country from an evil dictator who wants to enslave and/or kill us all to a Nazi whos following that dictator. There is a huge difference between following orders to defend your family and country, and following orders to go kill innocent people, or put them in concentration camps or enslave others...your basically saying that we should look at the nazi's point of view, and sympathize with them that their fighting for their country. No, their not, their fighting for a dictator who thinks all jewish should be killed and that he should rule the world and enslave all other races except anyone whos white with blonde hair and blue eyes. Your argument doesn't bear any merit or purpose and I find it profoundly obtuse. It's as if your siding with the Nazi's, it's people like you that dont even deserve to be an american. The kind of thinking you do motivates people to act in such negative and sophimorical way, get a life.

Oh and FYI I am majoring in Laser physics, Astrophysics and Quantam Mechanics, currently in college right now, about to be on my 4th year. Mirrors wont stop that sort of laser. This is an advanced tactical laser used with pressurized nitrogen, as you can see in the display. Mirrors can stop Photonic crystal lasers, Semiconductor lasers, Excimer lasers and Chemical lasers, even Solid State Lasers.

All those beams are Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, and if you look closely, the beginning of each letter of that definition spells out LASER
The tactical laser their using though isn't stimulated emission of radiation, it uses pressurized nitrogen, again as you can see in the display.