The dream is real, everyone. We've been developing laser weapons for so long, and now, they're finally here. Envy the U.S. Navy, they get to have a real, operating laser cannon. It's called the Laser Weapons System (LaWS), it costs $40 million to build and requires 3 people to man it, but one shot costs only a dollar. Its primary purpose is to shoot down drones, but it could also be used to hit and disable precise targets on enemy boats. According to the Geneva Convention, lasers can't be used against people, so that particular Star Wars fantasy will remain a fantasy. And it totally won't be used to shoot down enemy missiles. Nope. Definitely not. Bad Laser Weapons System, thinking you could shoot down missiles, even though you totally could.
My only hope is the first time this thing is used in a real combat situation, the person who give the command to fire has a sense of humor. They need to realize just how awesome the thing they're about to do really is. It isn't quite "fire phasers", but it's pretty close.
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Showing posts with label weapon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weapon. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Lasers in Space
Ever since man has first dreamed of flying through space, man has dreamed of attaching weapons to those spaceships. The latest addition to man's dream of weaponizing space may actually come to fruition. There are now plans to mount a powerful laser on the International Space Station.
It actually makes sense once you understand the context. There's about 3,000 tons of various kinds of debris floating around in Earth's orbit, and the tiniest speck can pack an enormous punch. The ISS constantly has to manuever around bits and pieces of space junk, and it is built to withstand impacts from really small objects. But think about it. It would make everyone's lives much easier if there was something up in orbit getting rid of potentially hazardous junk. After all, we've come to depend on satellites, and some stray debris could wreak a lot of havoc.
Unfortunately, the idea of attaching a laser to a space station is a bit politically sensitive. I imagine there will be some controversy. But the fact is that we depend on satellites up there in orbit, and they are all under constant threat. A way to clear out space debris would not only protect the people up in orbit, it would benefit all of us. As much as we might want to avoid it, space weaponization is probably inevitable, and as long as things are handled transparently, it should work out just fine.
It actually makes sense once you understand the context. There's about 3,000 tons of various kinds of debris floating around in Earth's orbit, and the tiniest speck can pack an enormous punch. The ISS constantly has to manuever around bits and pieces of space junk, and it is built to withstand impacts from really small objects. But think about it. It would make everyone's lives much easier if there was something up in orbit getting rid of potentially hazardous junk. After all, we've come to depend on satellites, and some stray debris could wreak a lot of havoc.
Unfortunately, the idea of attaching a laser to a space station is a bit politically sensitive. I imagine there will be some controversy. But the fact is that we depend on satellites up there in orbit, and they are all under constant threat. A way to clear out space debris would not only protect the people up in orbit, it would benefit all of us. As much as we might want to avoid it, space weaponization is probably inevitable, and as long as things are handled transparently, it should work out just fine.
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