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rubylith
Fluffy-Esque
1915 Posts |
 Posted - 01/12/2006 : 7:58:47 PM
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http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10805240/
Beam weapons almost ready for battle
Directed energy could revolutionize warfare, expert says
A laser fires from space toward Earth in this artistic rendering. The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate is conducting research in a wide variety of laser weapons technologies.
By Leonard David
Senior space writer
Updated: 12:10 p.m. ET Jan. 11, 2006
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. - There is a new breed of weaponry fast approaching — and at the speed of light, no less. They are labeled "directed-energy weapons," and they may well signal a revolution in military hardware — perhaps more so than the atomic bomb.
Directed-energy weapons take the form of lasers, high-powered microwaves and particle beams. Their adoption for ground, air, sea, and space warfare depends not only on using the electromagnetic spectrum, but also upon favorable political and budgetary wavelengths too.
That’s the outlook of J. Douglas Beason, author of the recently published book "The E-Bomb: How America’s New Directed Energy Weapons Will Change the Way Wars Will Be Fought in the Future." Beason previously served on the White House staff working for the president’s science adviser under both the Bush and Clinton administrations.
After more than two decades of research, the United States is on the verge of deploying a new generation of weapons that discharge beams of energy, such as the Airborne Laser and the Active Denial System, as well as the Tactical High Energy Laser, or THEL.
"History has shown that, without investment in high technology, fighting the next war will be done using the 'last war' type of technique," Beason told Space.com. Putting money into basic and long-range research is critical, Beason said, adding: "You can’t always schedule breakthroughs."
A leading expert in directed-energy research for 26 years, Beason is also director of threat reduction here at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. However, he noted that he was expressing his own views rather than the policy of the laboratory, the Defense Department or the Energy Department.
Ripe for transformation?
Though considerable work has been done in lasers, high-power microwaves and other directed-energy technologies, weaponization is still an ongoing process.
An artist's conception shows a reddish beam emanating from an Airborne Laser system, with another beam being used against missiles in the background. In reality, the beam itself might be invisible.
For example, work is continuing in the military’s Airborne Laser program. It utilizes a megawatt-class, high-energy chemical oxygen iodine laser toted skyward aboard a modified Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Purpose of the program is to enable the detection, tracking and destruction of ballistic missiles in the boost phase, or powered part of their flight.
Similarly, testing of the U.S. Army’s Tactical High Energy Laser in White Sands, N.M., has shown the ability of heating high-flying rocket warheads, blasting them with enough energy to make them self-detonate. THEL uses a high-energy, deuterium fluoride chemical laser. A mobile THEL also demonstrated the ability to kill multiple mortar rounds.
Then there’s Active Denial Technology — a non-lethal way to use millimeter-wave electromagnetic energy to stop, deter and turn back an advancing adversary. This technology, supported by the U.S. Marines, uses a beam of millimeter waves to heat a foe’s skin, causing severe pain without damage, and making the adversary flee the scene.
Beason also pointed to new exciting research areas underway at the Los Alamos National Laboratory: Free-electron laser work with the Navy and a new type of directed energy that operates in the terahertz region.
Niche for new technology
While progress in directed-energy is appreciable, Beason sees two upfront problems in moving the technology forward. One issue has to do with "convincing the warfighter that there’s a niche for this new type of weapon," and the other relates to making sure these new systems are not viewed as a panacea to solve all problems. "They are only another tool," he said.
This is a conceptual look at putting a solid-state laser on an armored ground combat vehicle for potential use in the U.S. military’s Future Combat Systems program.
COntinued on... http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10805240/ |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2006 : 12:34:53 AM
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| Those are going to be so awesome. |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2006 : 12:35:37 AM
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| commala-come-lightsabers. |
death to false metal. |
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2006 : 05:38:13 AM
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| Wow. That's pretty impressive. Warp drives and photon torpedoes can't be far behind, eh? |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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rubylith
Fluffy-Esque
1915 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2006 : 09:00:09 AM
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| we are FUCKED. |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2006 : 1:19:58 PM
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| i gotta get me one of those lightdrive rings for my speeder. |
death to false metal. |
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AGirlNamedPsycho
Try A Little Harder
USA
70 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2006 : 3:37:37 PM
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Holy shit. Not long before these bastards are hand-held and being sold at Wal-Mart with a background check.
Donwanna be a conspiracy theorist, but um... who exactly do you trust with a space laser, anyway? I mean forget worrying about the Gov't, or any world power... do you even know like, a good buddy that you'd trust with a Type 10 phaser?
You: "Here... Imunna give you this big red button that makes you kill things...from space... but like, be careful with it."
Friend: ".....right."
You: "By the way man, sorry to hear Jessica dumped you man. She was pretty fucken hot."
Friend: "...not as hot as she's gonna be..."
You: "..dude, what?"
Friend: "OH um... go Green Bay."
You: "...Right on."
It's kinda like the One Ring, innit? I dunno. Maybe I'm misunderestimating people's restraint. |
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2006 : 6:26:06 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by AGirlNamedPsycho
but um... who exactly do you trust with a space laser, anyway?
Me. |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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guitarisPIMP
Yak Addict
Niue
587 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 2:30:05 PM
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| I don't want a hand-held laser. I want mine built into my left eye. That would be handy. I just would have to make sure not to blink while its firing, I wouldn't wanna cinge an eyelid off or anything. |
my favorite color is go fuck yourself. :D |
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Zachmozach
Fluffy-Esque
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 2:42:58 PM
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| Yay for the US who is not just the only country unwilling to sign the treaty for banning weapons delivered from space, but the only one trying to make them. Yay, let's spend our time, energy, and money building things to kill people. We're not good enough at it already. This is why I have no hope for the future. |
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guitarisPIMP
Yak Addict
Niue
587 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2006 : 1:39:40 PM
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| I'm with you 100% on that, zach. |
my favorite color is go fuck yourself. :D |
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rubylith
Fluffy-Esque
1915 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2006 : 09:10:34 AM
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| we must have hope....just gotta stick together, be merry with friends and family...and listen to music....hell...MAKE music thats all we got....and hopefully good will prevail....fuck there are some heavy times upon us...just gotta enjoy the show. |
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Zachmozach
Fluffy-Esque
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2006 : 1:00:12 PM
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| I don't see why we have to have hope. It's not like it really does anything one way or the other. That's the plan though is to listen to some music make some music, and share my love. I'll work against this, but I'm a little beyond hope. |
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2006 : 2:05:08 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Zachmozach
I don't see why we have to have hope. It's not like it really does anything one way or the other. That's the plan though is to listen to some music make some music, and share my love. I'll work against this, but I'm a little beyond hope.
Music and love are hope. |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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Erich
Fluffy-Esque
USA
1427 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2006 : 4:05:50 PM
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You know, the children of the future will look at Cyclops and be as unimpressed as we are with a slingshot. "Laser out the eye? BORING!"
There are many dichotomic layers to this, too. Firstly being that we use lasers to prevent death, such as laser therapy for cancer and laser surgery for vision, and now were going to use them to expidite death as well. "oops, sorry about your eyes Mrs. Tanenbaum, we had this thing set for Iraq". Secondly, in the same vein, we always seem to want to heal what kills us from inside, yet further all methods of killing us from the outside. This is both phsychological and physical; we heal the internal afflictions only to erradicate the body with "military intelligence", and we heal the pyschologicaly troubled only to destroy them superficialy.
The laser is our physical manifestation of contranym, a term used for words with two meanings that are directly oposite of eachother (I garnish my food with herbs, an addition; I garnish my paycheck, a subtraction).
All we can do is put on our sunglasses and enjoy the show. |
~pw'oikr
~( "> |
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guitarisPIMP
Yak Addict
Niue
587 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2006 : 8:51:56 PM
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| I'm going to buy a pocket-sized mirror and fuckin deflect those bastards. |
my favorite color is go fuck yourself. :D |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2006 : 02:12:23 AM
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if you want to get epically apocolyptic about it, i'd suggest that the human game has been up for a long, long time. long before anyone here was born (this goes for any lurkers who are 100 years old.) what we're seeing now is the ending in motion. burn your game plan. my suggestion? pick up your guitar, pick up your game controllers, get your bands together, and have some goddamn fun. create something. sit down and smoke that thing. let's be a poignant reminder to others of what humans could have been.
all in all, i'm still hoping they make a lightsaber before i die. i'd buy one, no matter what it costs. |
death to false metal. |
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rubylith
Fluffy-Esque
1915 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2006 : 02:36:41 AM
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hold up....smoke what!!!!!!???????
hah |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2006 : 9:27:30 PM
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| smoke whatever you got. smoke 'em if you got 'em. |
death to false metal. |
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guitarisPIMP
Yak Addict
Niue
587 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2006 : 7:37:23 PM
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ever smoke salvia divinorum?
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my favorite color is go fuck yourself. :D |
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MSNBC: Beam weapons almost ready for battle
