Pew Pew Pew! Why Scientists Are Fired Up About Futuristic Space Lasers

By Mindy Weisberger, Senior Writer | June 22, 2017 09:04am ET


WASHINGTON — Epic laser battles with highly concentrated beams of deadly light punching through starship hulls, slicing off limbs — or instantly vaporizing spacecraft, bodies and even planets — have been a much-loved and time-honored tradition in science fiction for many decades.

But anyone who has gripped a handheld laser pointer to lead a presentation or to tease a cat knows that lower-energy versions of lasers are quite common today. The focused light of lasers can be used for microscopy, to provide targets for weapons, to perform certain types of delicate surgery or to create spectacular visual displays at rock concerts.

And lasers are also frequently used in space — not as weapons, but to help scientists conduct highly precise measurements and observations, a group of NASA engineers and designers explained in a panel on June 16 here at Future Con. [The Most Dangerous Space Weapons Ever]

If you've ever marveled at the highly detailed Martian topography in the geobrowser Google Mars, you have lasers to thank, said Luis Ramos-Izquierdo, an optical systems engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/59579-future-con-how-space-lasers-aid-science.html