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Originally posted by alfa1
It will always be that way. Ever since I heard about laser weapons many decades ago, the limitation has never been in the power or the tracking systems, but the fact that our atmosphere exists, and is dirty.
Once you get above a certain power level, anything other than a totally clear day with no water vapour will just cause your fantastic weapon to be a useless fireworks show in the sky.
This will never change.
Originally posted by 13th Zodiac
I guess a big mirror might work against it
Originally posted by NewsWorthy
Hmmm I wonder what happens if they shoot that at a ship and a couple crew men grab a parabolic mirror... For that matter wouldn't that laser be useless if the object it was firing at was polished to mirror quality?
Originally posted by namehere
Originally posted by alfa1
It will always be that way. Ever since I heard about laser weapons many decades ago, the limitation has never been in the power or the tracking systems, but the fact that our atmosphere exists, and is dirty.
Once you get above a certain power level, anything other than a totally clear day with no water vapour will just cause your fantastic weapon to be a useless fireworks show in the sky.
This will never change.
that may be the case for normal lasers but how exactly can humidity or dust stop high temperature beams of energy? the only issue would be visual/optical tracking systems, but radar and infrared or other systems could easily solve that issue.
Originally posted by Hefficide
Exactly what aspect of my disdain for weapons of mass destruction strikes you as unpatriotic??? I was pretty sure that loving America and hating the death of every living human being on Earth was OK.edit on 4/8/13 by Hefficide because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by Hefficide
Exactly what aspect of my disdain for weapons of mass destruction strikes you as unpatriotic??? I was pretty sure that loving America and hating the death of every living human being on Earth was OK.edit on 4/8/13 by Hefficide because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by pheonix358
Originally posted by 13th Zodiac
I guess a big mirror might work against it
I was going to respond with a pic of a B2 Spirit bomber with a big mirror under it with the caption "How's that Stealth going Now!"
But then I thought of WW4 being fought with mirrored armor, mirror shields and hand phasers and thought that was even funnier!
P
Originally posted by alfa1
Originally posted by Hefficide
... using light emitting weapons in the place of projectile weapons.
But still fiction is fiction. Right?
Not any more.
Actually there is no "in place of" scenario just yet.
The system on that ship is a prototype, a test machine, a trial, a systems check, a principle check, a proof of concept.
It will always be that way. Ever since I heard about laser weapons many decades ago, the limitation has never been in the power or the tracking systems, but the fact that our atmosphere exists, and is dirty.
Once you get above a certain power level, anything other than a totally clear day with no water vapour will just cause your fantastic weapon to be a useless fireworks show in the sky.
This will never change.
Note also that any test demonstrations you will find always consist of slow objects, close to the weapon.
Not exactly a problem for any other weapon you can think of.
edit on 8-4-2013 by alfa1 because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by alfa1
Originally posted by Hefficide
... using light emitting weapons in the place of projectile weapons.
But still fiction is fiction. Right?
Not any more.
Actually there is no "in place of" scenario just yet.
The system on that ship is a prototype, a test machine, a trial, a systems check, a principle check, a proof of concept.