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New York, 9:09 PM
Tue Nov 24
65 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #airforce more →

    Astronomers and the Air Force Face Off Over Lasers

    Video of Airborne Tactical Laser Hitting a Ground Target Is Not Very Satisfying

    Runaway Drone Shot Out of Sky

    This Is Where Each of Your 1.421 Trillion Dollars Is Going In 2010

    US Air Force Successfully Tests Advanced Tactical Laser From a C-130 Plane

    Air Force Twitters on GPS Outage Reports: Calm Down, Civilians

    West Point Training Hackers

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    Death and Taxes Shows Fascinating, Terrible View on Military Tech Spending

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of agfuentes agfuentes
    10/14/09

    In reply to Astronomers and the Air Force Face Off Over Lasers
    As an astrophysicist I have to OF COURSE side with the telescopes. I have read a lot of misconceptions. These lasers are low powered (some ~ 25 W) they are not going to blow up satellites. All they can do is blind the cameras for less than a sec. over the USA. Also they are not used in every telescope. Only a few telescopes in the USA (Hawaii, AZ and in PR) have laser guided stars. A bigger problem is planes flying by but this is already taken care of by having direct communications with nearby airports and a person dedicated to staying outside the telescopes with a big red button that shuts down the laser when a plane gets close to it. We need these laser AO systems because without them we could not point at anything that is small or faint in the sky due to atmospheric turbulence. In conclusion "suck on it AirForce".
     Reply
    d_r_e approved this comment agfuentes was starred agfuentes was unstarred
    Image of bagellord bagellord
    10/14/09

    In reply to Astronomers and the Air Force Face Off Over Lasers
    How hard is it for the Pentagon to look at a computer and see if there are any satellites in the area at a given time when the astronomers call and say yay or nay?
     Reply
    bagellord was starred bagellord was unstarred
    Image of Wokcus Wokcus
    10/14/09

    In reply to Astronomers and the Air Force Face Off Over Lasers
    This is incredibly stupid. It's not like the Air Force can stop observatories in other countries from using lasers. Also, if the satellites are that easily blinded (something I'm skeptical of), they're now making sure that everyone is aware of that via the Streisand effect.
     Reply
    d_r_e promoted this comment Wokcus was starred Wokcus was unstarred
    Image of Fletch Lives Fletch Lives
    10/14/09

    @Wokcus: Excellent point, +1
     Reply
    d_r_e promoted this comment Fletch Lives was starred Fletch Lives was unstarred
    Image of RainyDayInterns RainyDayInterns
    10/14/09

    In reply to Astronomers and the Air Force Face Off Over Lasers
    We are on the side of the astronomers... here we are doing our part, pimping out our scope with a Wicked Laser:

    $3 laser holder:
    [www.rainydaymagazine.com]

    Laser in use, no planes down:
    [www.rainydaymagazine.com]
     Reply
    Edited by RainyDayInterns at 10/14/09 7:30 AM RainyDayInterns was starred RainyDayInterns was unstarred
    Image of ACoBildo ACoBildo
    10/14/09

    In reply to Astronomers and the Air Force Face Off Over Lasers
    If the American taxpayer made the observatories pay for a new mission-critical, multi-million dollar satellite every time they damaged one, I don't think observatories would be too eager to randomly fire lasers at the heavens.

    (Yes, I'm in the U.S. Air Force)
     Reply
    ReconToaster. promoted this comment ACoBildo was starred ACoBildo was unstarred
    Image of masshuum masshuum
    10/14/09

    @ACoBildo: Is it really that hard to coordinate with them? I mean come on. It seems the military just likes to make the most menial task complicated. There must be a 5 page manual on how to properly wipe one's ass.

    (Yes, I'm a civilian...)
     Reply
    d_r_e promoted this comment masshuum was starred masshuum was unstarred
    Image of ReconToaster misses garnett :( ReconToaster misses garnett :(
    10/14/09

    @ACoBildo:

    Honestly, if our technology is capable of shooting a satellite out of orbit WITH A MISSILE, then I'm sure that lasers can't be all that hard to navigate.
     Reply
    ReconToaster misses garnett :( was starred ReconToaster misses garnett :( was unstarred
    Image of 0xdeadbeef 0xdeadbeef
    10/14/09

    @ACoBildo: If the American taxpayer made the Air Force accept the responsibility for the risk of putting expensive hardware into secret orbits, I don't think they would be stonewalling when observatories give them the courtesy of letting them know they're going to be firing a laser into space at such-and-such location at such-and-such time.

    (Yes, I am an American taxpayer)
     Reply
    d_r_e promoted this comment 0xdeadbeef was starred 0xdeadbeef was unstarred
    Image of DH405 DH405
    10/14/09

    In reply to Astronomers and the Air Force Face Off Over Lasers
    Really, what are the odds? Also, shouldn't the optics and such be a bit more capable of taking a non-weapon laser?
     Reply
    DH405 was starred DH405 was unstarred
    Image of Coulterboy Coulterboy
    10/14/09

    @DH405: Actually they're pretty frakin huge odds, considering how often a laser would be shot up. These things cost millions of dollars, and you just wanna go PEW PEW and hope you miss? Not happenin. Point 2, These things are so incredibly important do you really wanna risk anything possibly messing up the optics? Consider how detailed a military satellite probably is. You don't wanna mess with that.
     Reply
    RainyDayInterns promoted this comment Coulterboy was starred Coulterboy was unstarred
    Image of RainyDayInterns RainyDayInterns
    10/14/09

    @Coulterboy: hmmm... if that is true, then it is a good thing that only law-abiding US citizens concerned with our military's well-being have access to low power lasers.
     Reply
    RainyDayInterns was starred RainyDayInterns was unstarred
    Image of adewolf adewolf
    10/02/09

    In reply to Video of Airborne Tactical Laser Hitting a Ground Target Is Not Very Satisfying
    Where is the PEW,PEW on the picture...harrrummmmmph
     Reply
    Margatron promoted this comment adewolf was starred adewolf was unstarred
    Image of Margatron Margatron
    10/02/09

    @adewolf: ...and why isn't this filed under Pew Pew? Harrrummph harrrummmmph!
     Reply
    Margatron was starred Margatron was unstarred
    Image of se7a7n7 se7a7n7
    10/02/09

    In reply to Video of Airborne Tactical Laser Hitting a Ground Target Is Not Very Satisfying

    If Luke Skywalker was there, he would have been all like vermmm vermmmm whooooaaammm and totally block that laser with his lightsaber.
     Reply
    se7a7n7 was starred se7a7n7 was unstarred
    Image of BeatrixAjax BeatrixAjax
    10/02/09

    In reply to Video of Airborne Tactical Laser Hitting a Ground Target Is Not Very Satisfying
    @ripfire: but that's just it.... "keeping it steady" is 95% of actually aiming any weapon.. especially one that's 3 miles away mounted to a large vibrating aircract moving at 200mph, and keepingit aimed over that period of time to a tolerance of a few inches... pretty impressive.

    try keeping your later pointer aimed at a 12" box from a fotoball field away from a moving car and how easy it is to aim with any accuracy, then imagine it being 17 times further
     Reply
    ripfire promoted this comment BeatrixAjax was starred BeatrixAjax was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    10/02/09

    @BeatrixAjax: Trust me. Keeping it steady is the least thing they have to worry about.
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of speaknspell23 speaknspell23
    10/02/09

    In reply to Video of Airborne Tactical Laser Hitting a Ground Target Is Not Very Satisfying
    I'm not impressed until it pops popcorn.
     Reply
    Lite: hates Illinois Nazis promoted this comment speaknspell23 was starred speaknspell23 was unstarred
    Image of EpiphyteCorp. EpiphyteCorp.
    10/02/09

    In reply to Video of Airborne Tactical Laser Hitting a Ground Target Is Not Very Satisfying
    Did anybody catch what color the laser was? I want to be sure I know what color the good guys are shooting.
     Reply
    ripfire promoted this comment EpiphyteCorp. was starred EpiphyteCorp. was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    10/02/09

    @EpiphyteCorp.: They're using clear.
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of ebob9 ebob9
    10/02/09

    In reply to Video of Airborne Tactical Laser Hitting a Ground Target Is Not Very Satisfying
    Would have been better if they loaded the truck up with popcorn.
     Reply
    ripfire promoted this comment ebob9 was starred ebob9 was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    10/02/09

    @ebob9: That would be the win-win situation.
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of Hello Mister Walrus Hello Mister Walrus
    10/02/09

    In reply to Video of Airborne Tactical Laser Hitting a Ground Target Is Not Very Satisfying
    That video looks like it was fast forwarded. How long does it really take to fry a truck? It seems like a huge plane following some small vehicle for 15 minutes, slowly heating it with a laser, would be the most awkward battle ever.
     Reply
    Hello Mister Walrus was starred Hello Mister Walrus was unstarred
    Image of switchblade saints switchblade saints
    10/02/09

    @Hello Mister Walrus: and it looked like it only achieved paint damage.
     Reply
    switchblade saints was starred switchblade saints was unstarred
    Image of dcartist dcartist
    10/02/09

    @switchblade saints: agreed. If that laser were hot enough to burn through the steel truck hood, you'd think we would have heard and seem some loud stuff going on there, because the power involved would force something to crack, or warp signficantly.

    The accuracy is probably more impressive than the power though. (Then again a stationary target with a high contrast black box painted on it, and it didn't even hit the middle of the box... if we're picky)

    You have that kind of aiming system, probably better off firing a rail gun at it or something.
     Reply
    switchblade saints promoted this comment dcartist was starred dcartist was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    10/02/09

    @dcartist: Aiming is actually easier than it looks. Try it for yourself: take a laser pointer and aim it somewhere really far away. It's not that hard. Only thing you have to worry about is keeping it steady.
     Reply
    Edited by ripfire at 10/02/09 11:40 AM ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of reddingofish reddingofish
    10/02/09

    In reply to Video of Airborne Tactical Laser Hitting a Ground Target Is Not Very Satisfying
    I can here the driver of that car screaming "MY PAINT JOB! Damn you Americans, your paying for that."
     Reply
    reddingofish was starred reddingofish was unstarred
    Image of weatherman weatherman
    10/02/09

    In reply to Video of Airborne Tactical Laser Hitting a Ground Target Is Not Very Satisfying
    Seriously? That's what we spent all that money on, and waited almost 10 years longer than expected for? I could do that with a big magnifying glass.

    I'll take 7000 cruise missiles, 300 Reapers and 15,000 Hellfire Missiles instead, please.
     Reply
    weatherman was starred weatherman was unstarred
    Image of e-friend cuts you e-friend cuts you
    10/02/09

    @weatherman: You don't go from zero to Star Wars in 10 years.
     Reply
    weatherman promoted this comment e-friend cuts you was starred e-friend cuts you was unstarred
    Image of taniquetil taniquetil
    10/02/09

    @weatherman:

    Yeah, but then you'll be shooting cruise missiles and I'll be like "I"M FIRIN' MAH LAHZER!!"
     Reply
    weatherman promoted this comment taniquetil was starred taniquetil was unstarred
    Image of bagellord bagellord
    10/02/09

    @weatherman: But how will you launch all of that firepower?
     Reply
    bagellord was starred bagellord was unstarred
    Image of icelight icelight
    10/02/09

    @weatherman: I think you're confusing the Airborne Laser (ABL), the multi-billion dollar missile defense project, with the Airborne Tactical Laser, which this is.
     Reply
    weatherman promoted this comment Edited by icelight at 10/02/09 10:54 AM icelight was starred icelight was unstarred
    Image of Xeno Xeno
    10/02/09

    @weatherman: That's why the project is being canceled.
     Reply
    Xeno was starred Xeno was unstarred
    Image of weatherman weatherman
    10/02/09

    @icelight: yes, the two are very closely tied. In my mind the ATL is really just an attempt to spin off another use for the same technology in order to justify spending the eight billion dollars on the ABL.
     Reply
    weatherman was starred weatherman was unstarred
    Image of switchblade saints switchblade saints
    10/02/09

    @e-friend: 10 years? We have had working lasers for 50 years now. That is plenty of time.

    They can shoot people with sound, that shouldn't be beating lasers dammit.
     Reply
    switchblade saints was starred switchblade saints was unstarred
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