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As for #1 it's just a matter of logistics. It would actually be a little easier to do from space because you don't have to worry about the effects of the atmosp
by drabiega 11y ago
As for #1 it's just a matter of logistics. It would actually be a little easier to do from space because you don't have to worry about the effects of the atmosphere, but it would be a pretty massive piece of infrastructure and it's likely that within this time frame it would be vastly simpler and cheaper to build it on earth.
- Zikes 11y agoFor a laser of the proposed magnitude surely a little bit of air isn't going to make a significant difference. From what I can gather the thing would be classified as a WMD and capable of carving a smiley face on Pluto.
- david-given 11y agoHeat air up enough and it turns into plasma. Plasma's opaque. That's going to do terrible things to your beam focus. I remember hearing that this is a problem with high-energy laser weaponry, which is why it tends to be pulsed, to give the hot air time to dissipate. But I can't find a reference now.