In First Successful Test, Airborne Laser Shoots Down Missile

buckrodgers
If Ronald Reagan could still be alive to see this actually happening."STAR WARS TECHNOLOGY" It is great that some leaders have a forsight to see the possibilities and are not intimidated by other nations into abandoning their sovereignty. NASA has been nixed and my guess this project will be next. Especially when it urks Russia to the core. What an nearsighted idiot we have for a current leader. Sorry had to rant. I don't think our sitting President is very savy when it comes to scientific priorities.

I believe it is the very people who currently hold our destiny in their hands who called Reagan a senile old fool for dreaming up something as foolish and impossible as "Star Wars". I wouldn't be surprised to see this program cut by the current administration in order to help fund some portion of cap and trade. Those carbon credits will save us all.

November can't come soon enough.

yeah what an idiot our current leader is. He only has proposed funding to increase education, specifically directed at math and science beyond the wonderfully designed no student left behind debacle. moron.

i just had to register b/c this isn't supposed to be a political forum but the two jackos that posted above me clearly have the definitions of nearsighted and farsighted reversed. Its kind of like agreeing w/ the tea party movement for fighting against taxes even though the original movement began b/c there was no representation for the taxes, ummmm, all of these people are represented in congress haha.

so i think when you implied that reagan was farsighted you'r right, in that he had seen starwars and therefore figured we must be able to build this george lucas technology now. good thing he didn't predict a deathstar too or you may be calling him a loon, unless we do build one in a few years. maybe he was already suffering from the dementia. i predict we should live on pluto some day so we don't have to worry about global warming anymore. if that happens does that mean im a farsighted brilliant individual or just spewing nonsensical garbage? give me a break.

buckrodgers
Mr. Right I beleive you are Mr.Left. You really should change your name. You should try the MSNBC forum. I spew no right wing garbage. I am just one person who beleives the current administration has it all wrong. Why do we need science and math with no vision of where we are to use it or what we can acheive with it? How can education best be used if not to better the human condition? There are great innovative technologies that have been spun from high tech govenment initiatves. To strive where we have not yet been or do what has not been done instills a vision that the upcoming generation can make a difference using their skills for something other than being a lifetime government employee or maybe to only teach others what they have been taught. There is nothing wrong with teaching. Where would we be without good teachers? Something has to inspire people to greatness or to acheive their potential. We are human, that's what motivates us. Money doesn't buy quality education. Only teachers that are INSPIRED to teach can do that. I do not like using Biblical references in this forum but sometimes it seems appropriate. "Where there is no vision, My people perish."
Only today Obama called himself "agnostic". Agnostic people could care less about instilling a vision to inspire a people to greatness. Having this mindset he can not inspire people to follow him to the Coke machine much less for our next generation to become something greater than the previous one.
Every great endeavor starts with a vision. "Some people see what is and ask why.(That is you)"Some people see what could be and ask why not?"(Regan perhaps) If it were up to people with your mindset we would all still be plowing with horses. That in itself may not be all bad environmentally, but not very realistic for a world with billions of people to feed.
This airborne laser may never see the battlefield, may never save a life, or take a life. It doesn't matter, the knowledge that has been gained during the development may be priceless knowledge to our next generation. We have gleaned much knowledge from its development on how to produce and control high power laser radiation. Who knows what future spinoffs we may see that become beneficial to our society??

It may or may not ever see the battlefield, orangebloodedal.

Producing and controlling high powered laser radiation is being used already in fusion reactor experiments, as an example of a more elevating use of technology.

I think you have it wrong. This is the use of a civilian technology being bent into an instrument of war.

If you have any misguided notion that the development or use of an instrument of war has the ability to elevate the human condition, try going to a war and seeing how elevating it is for yourself and for the poor ba****ds you find in a burned out tank when you open a hatch to throw a satchel charge in to crack the hull. Try throwing another into a bunker you know people are hiding in and watch the smoke and pink mist spray out.

Try getting a good night's rest when every man you killed comes to visit you. They don't really die. They keep you awake at night.

Wars demean men. They kill the innocent. They destroy societies and cultures. The number of "just" wars fought around the world in the last several centuries might be counted on one hand.

Yep, it pretty amazing what can be done under good management. The program floundered for 20 years challenged by repeated technical failures and habitual cost overruns.

I must admit the vision of our current President allowed us to continued to develop this technology without precipitating a arms race that would have likely involved both Russia and China.

Cooperative technological advancement, hmmm, now that's vision.

Well, on the subject of this laser. FINALLY!!! proof of concepts and working prototypes make me very happy.

As for the political debate going on, no, Obama isn't stupid. He is calling for an emphasis on math and science. However, he does not seem to understand that you must also supply technical jobs for the middle class, and not just jobs for the lower class. Its the sad mentality that schools use as an excuse to cut AP and honors classes. "The smart ones will make it on their own."

The canclation of the ARES rocket saves I think 7-10billion dollars in funding, throws 9billion down the tube, and will probably cost 7000 jobs all-en-tol. 10billion for 7000 technical jobs doing something Useful. That, plus NASA's wonderful record of spin-off tech and their ability to foster scientific spirit, makes this budget cut a hard and stupid move to swallow, in my humble opinion.

buckrodgers

As long as there is evil in the world there will be wars. I think Sherman said "War is Hell". How true. All war is the ugly side of human nature. People trying take what others have, a quest for power or religious zealots. But, I would rather be on the backside of an instrument of war than in its sights. I would rather have an F22 than a bicycle and a BB gun. This may allow us to keep our freedom a little longer. Freedom is not free and will never will be free. There is a price to be paid for it. We will always be in a vigilant arms race with our adversaries or we fall behind and thus become more vulnerable to have our freedoms taken from us. To say Obama has kept us from an arms race is deception. China produces new antisattelite weapons, Russia new IBM's and Iran Nukes. See how recent history bears this out. People pray for peace and countries prepare for war.
It's is not a pretty picture of the human condition but it is reality and I for one do not live in an idealistic but a real world. "Evil triumphs when good men do nothing." We saw this with Hitler, Stalin and I am afraid now in present day Iran.
Governments will always use cutting edge technology to gain an advantage over their adversaries but what man uses for evil God uses for good. I have to believe this or can see no long term hope for the human race.

buckrodgers
QIII My last comment
YOU have it wrong. LASER technology is a spinoff of MASER reaseach and development during WW2 which developed the magnetron and thus RADAR. Not to mention microwave ovens. The key work here being done in desparation by Great Britain to save their country from Hitler's vision of European master race domination.

Ronald Reagan was not a scientist he did not foresee anything about how well star wars will work. He followed a belief that a government should stay ahead of other countries in order to win a possible war. Winston Churchill had these thoughts and many other leaders of the past. Our country is continuing in this main premise regardless of who is the President. However, Presidents have curtailed funding which is also view and debated in Congress. I agree that the current President is not thinking for the best interest of our security when he does reject projects like the F-22 final procurement. We will see later unfortunately when it’s too late, if his decisions have crippled this country.

Whats with all this "buckrodgers?" It confuses me. And why should I mark on my calender the day that we "officially" made lasers into weapons? It was only one shot. It only shot for a couple miliseconds. It only shot down a dumby missile. I will mark down the day when we can shoot multiple shots of multi second blasts. And only if we shoot down the MQ-9 Reaper under fire fight conditions, just without the Reaper being able to fire. Other wise, this is just another step closer to what we try to avoid, not saying that what I'll mark on the calender isn't.

buckrogers

oooh, mr left, you got me. what are we, 5 years old? see, theres the type of guy that reverts to name calling (thats you) and then the type of guy that understands name calling is the product of a weak mind (thats me). personally i think you've watch devils brigade and the dirty dozen a few too many times.

look, technology is great, thats why we are all on this site. im no sure why your so upset about NASA or the f-22, don't worry, we are building more weapons then every before so calm yourself. i mean in case you didn't notice our current admin has increased spending for defense beyond that of any prior admin, so your concern is unfounded. NASA isn't gone, we just aren't trying to put a man on the moon again. its still an active agency creating new spin off weaponry for you to attach pointless biblical references to so don't worry. Its just cheaper and safer to send robots and UAVs into space then people. So maybe you'll get an R2D2 or C3PO out of it in 20 years, will you praise obama for being farsighted like you're praising Reagan? probably not.

So if you think Reagan was farsighted your fooling yourself, he was only farsighted enough to deregulate everything causing our current crisis and making the admin have to choose what programs to cut and where things need to be streamlined. if he was truly interested in science he would have pursued something truly scientific for the time like research on AIDS. i bet you also think we won the cold war b/c we built more nukes huh? not b/c we just outspent russia.

oh and no standing president would ever claim they were agnostic even if they were. Not that it matters what religion you are but obama has indicated about a thousand times he is christian, attends mass every sunday and participates in all christian holidays. id love to see you post where he said that, faux news channel maybe? haha. religion and science are at odds, its any oxymoron placing them in the same post on this forum. science will eventually prove religion as outdated and irrelevant but weak minds will still attempt to hold onto it.

this laser is great but don't try connecting it to reagan. Reagan was a religious ideologue like the rest of them, not a farsighted scientist or an educator, like obama was for 12 years at harvard haha. your living in la-la land if you think reagan had a better grip on science and the need for it then our current president.

I love how Mr. RIGHT and orangebloodedal go back and forth. It's funny.

There is one fact; religion and science are not separate but different. People who try to dispel the two from each other do so because of a lack of understanding.

Science is the knowledge of the natural (and dare I say supernatural) of the observable universe. Religion is a culture set of practices that dictate a given set of morals, and values (usually with a plight to civilize the uncivilized, instill high virtues of character, and instill faith in moments of despair).

While religion itself is contradictory to the many cultures and subcultures on this planet, a great scientist once quantified the existence of God and the relevance of faith. Science will do nothing to cast out religion. Only a unified common ground of spirituality will do that (or a lack thereof).

As far as politicians are concerned, few these days are visionary; mainly because they do not enter office to lead, but to be told what to do. It is a huge contradiction that U.S. National Policy pushes to inspire children towards STEM academics, but the greatest inspiration to STEM has been broken down to a form of the least inspiring. No one may care about sending men to the moon as much as they care about the Winter Olympics, but people care even less about the endeavors of robotic explorers (few people even know that there are images from Titan to view; the only other world in this solar system with an atmosphere considerably thick compared to Earth's). As a result, NASA will not be able to inspire the American youth to pursue subjects that many find daunting and troublesome anymore, and for the past few years, NASA has been the sole channel of motivating the youth toward STEM academics and careers.

As far as warfare is concerned, saying that only a handful of wars fought over the last century can be viewed as noble is only a point-of-view. Every cause, no matter the scale, seems like a good reason to go toe to toe with someone. If someone offends you, you can look the other way and pay them no mind, or you can turn around and swing high. In this instance warfare is no more meaningful than a barroom brawl.

Yet you might notice that, turning the other cheek isn't alway a viable option. You might notice that if some kid bullies another in a school yard, that kid will continue to be picked on until that kid fights back and puts a good amount of hurt on the bully to make them think twice about picking on them (win or lose), or if that kid gets someone to intervene on their behalf (i.e. teacher/parent/older sibling intervention). Simply turning away from confrontation doesn't always work. You either have to fight or deter violence (e.g. conventional warfare compared to nuclear deterrence through arms race a.k.a. flexing muscle).

The point is the airborne laser will no doubt transform civil technology and the battlefield in general. It doesn't have to be a dark and evil thing unless your mind lets it be. Just know that war remains a natural part of the human condition. Even after the world is united there will still be war between us. Ranting about it will not make it go away.

As far as NASA is concerned, it is just suffering the effects of the decisions made by one administration that will not last for long. If the people want something done, vote the current legislators out of office because they are the ones responsible for going along with the decisions sealing the fate of American Aerospace for the next few years. Sometimes you have to take your own future into your own hands instead of leaving it in the hands of others.

"Welcome! to the Federation Starship SS Buttcrack!!!"

I'm waiting for the small protest group of prodigy kids headed by a charismatic genius hipster that wears bunny slippers to manipulate the airborne laser project for their own benefit - a prank on a stiff suck-up bully. Didn't anyone learn anything from one of the best sci-fi comedy flicks of all time?

Thank you 80's.

To orangebloodedal: you are a "nearsighted idiot", not our current leader. Obama has nothing to do with it at all. Russia was not scared of the Star Wars, Gorbachev was. I lived in Russia then, and people could care less about the "pie in the sky" that SW represented. Gorby was an idiot, and Russians paid for his mistakes. It takes a lot more than 1 laser to protect the country from ballistic missiles, it's just one little component of it, though it is great for political chest beating.

Sometime in the next 50 years fighter/bomber aircraft will be rendered useless by powerful ground based lasers capable of shooting down anything in the sky.

I fighter or bomber will not be able to dodge the speed of light like they can a surface to air missile.

Sheer numbers of those aircraft may be the only way to defeat such a threat.

This proves that the US is making progress with technology.

If we could use this new weapon to detonate nuclear bombs in mid air, this could potentially save the world from permanently damaging the layers of the atmosphere, and making some places inhabitable. this could also save many military lives from war.

I am almost to my mid 30's at this point. MARTI AND HELL - Remind me of GI Joe

Sure it might cost a lot, seem pointless, and is hardly economical. But its a laser! I mean I typically like to bash the President but this is one thing I can capitulate to. Can you blame him for wanting to build a laser which might have been a childhood dream. Everyone has that "If I were the President I'd make this, this, and this" plan and maybe he just wanted a laser. Let him have his fun because at least it'll deter his focus on the awfully designed health care bill. I say Pew Pew Pew all the way! I think the next step is developing thermite grenades and tie-fighters so we can play "Galactic Republic" vs Terrorists.

Oh, orange, orange, orange...

Not sure if you are still following this...

It might do you well to find out who first proposed the principal of the maser, what their nationality was, where they first presented their theory and when they actually presented their findings.

It might also be worth your while to find out when the first maser was built.

And unless you would like to convince me that WWII happened in the 1920s, I think you missed your mark on the magnetron.

Further, you might look for when the first patent for a "pre-radar" was issued. Maybe you could convince me that someone was working on it for the Spanish American War, but didn't get it done quite in time.

Radar resolution was refined BEFORE WWII and found its first practical application there.

And before you lecture me on the relative merits of the world's response to Hitler (also note that I did say something about "just" wars), I'd love to take several hours and tell you what profession every male in my family -- and now my son -- has practiced since the Revloutionary War.

I suspect that I am significantly better versed in both the subject of this article and the subject of war than are you.