Luke, I am your Father...

"Impossible! Only my Chinese masters can achieve technological success!"

- Tossering-off-in-the-
rainlocker

"Impossible! Only my Chinese masters can achieve technological success!"

Funded by Chinese money, thanks.

It will take only one deep bow from Messiah and Chinese will be selling your tech in the bazaar.

Cool stuff. Glad to see defense money actually being spent on defensive weapons.

We have the junk! woohoo!

Cool stuff. Glad to see defense money actually being spent on defensive weapons.

#4 | POSTED BY GOATMAN

The story I read about this laser said its basically already scrapped... won't be really funded by the government anymore.

I knew we could do it if we just kept pumping billions into it. I didn't expect it to take quite this long though.

Ronald Reagan

instead of funnelling billions of dollars into these types of lasers, why not have the govt fund more star wars movies? at least the videos are more fun to watch...

The only reason this worked is because they knew the time, coordinates, azimuth, elevation, and all missile ballistic information of the target before hand. Unless the 747 is already on station ready for the attack how is this very large aircraft going to launch, acquire, and kill a missile coming at an unknown time from an unknown direction?

But it sounds cool right?

why not have the govt fund more star wars movies? at least the videos are more fun to watch...

Seriously? The most recent star wars movies sucked donkey nuts.

Why not stick it on a satellite? I wonder if the laser requires too much power or is too big or something.

Considering the laser is carried around in a 747, I'm going with "too big."

You know all that money we spend on the military ever year - trillions of dollars? Instead, if we use this money to feed and clothe the poor of this world, which it would do many times over, then we can explore space, inner and outer, together, as one race.

- Bill Hicks

The only reason this worked is because they knew the time, coordinates, azimuth, elevation, and all missile ballistic information of the target before hand. Unless the 747 is already on station ready for the attack how is this very large aircraft going to launch, acquire, and kill a missile coming at an unknown time from an unknown direction?

But it sounds cool right?

#9 | Posted by Prolix247 at 2010-02-18 11:31 PM

Second crack? Very scary!

Chemical reaction required to power the laser not electricity satelite payload would be enormous also hard to cool down the thing

LOL! Yes, let's trash all projects from now on after the early iterations since they aren't perfected right off the bat! If something doesn't work perfectly right away, scrap it! With that attitude, we wouldn't have to deal with all this confounded technology we're surrounded with.

How many billions should we throw at a program that's been in existence since the Reagan administration before we come to the conclusion that shooting things out of the sky with lasers only happens in sci-fi movies?

Anti Missile Lasers?

Funded by Chinese money, thanks. -- #3 | Posted by Tosser

Nah. The world is a-changing. Our biggest creditors now are the Japanese, not the Chinese. THERE's some interesting politics, eh?

How many billions should we throw at a program that's been in existence since the Reagan administration before we come to the conclusion that shooting things out of the sky with lasers only happens in sci-fi movies?

#17 | Posted by Axiom at 2010-02-19 05:28 AM

Regardless, how many things we take for granted (air planes, rockets, cars, etc.) would have never been if we had just thrown them in the bin of science fiction and forgotten about them?

You're not serious, are you? Humans are a breed on this planet, and like all breeds we have instincts, including war. The second our nation is perceived as week, watch out. My thought is that in the very near future wmd's will be readily available and we will lose several cities b4 folks like you finally come on board.

The story I read about this laser said its basically already scrapped... won't be really funded by the government anymore.

#6 | Posted by Rob_The_A_Hole

Is anyone surprised? You go little o.

Obviously that conclusion is flawed, since the article is about a successful attempt at shooting something out of the sky with lasers.

Finally, after 20+ years?

Well sign me the fuck up. Hell, I'll donate a few hundred bucks to that.

As someone above said.

They launched the rocket. The knew everything about where it was being launched from and where it was going. That doesn't mean the system works. That means the system got to cheat.

Finally, after 20+ years?

#24 | Posted by Axiom at 2010-02-19 12:24 PM

As someone above said.

They launched the rocket. The knew everything about where it was being launched from and where it was going. That doesn't mean the system works. That means the system got to cheat.

#24 | Posted by Axiom at 2010-02-19 12:24 PM

How many billions should we throw at a program that's been in existence since the Reagan administration before we come to the conclusion that shooting things out of the sky with lasers only happens in sci-fi movies?

Obviously Reagan's intention was to enrich cronies in the defense industry. The fact that they finally got it to work under controlled conditions proves nothing. It was more likely a spoof or planned hoax. They will be asking for billions more now and soon. You watch.

Is anyone surprised? You go little o.

...and this coming from someone calling himself sniper that wants to axe funding for green technology because there is no problem.

The fact that they finally got it to work under controlled conditions proves nothing.

#26 | Posted by RingMaster at 2010-02-19 01:41 PM

A remarkable accomplishment. That'll make it easier to stomach a nuclear Iran, and it'll work a helluva lot better than more sanctions....

Amazing how folks expect technology to be easy. We've spent far more on the "War on Poverty" than we have on missile defense and I think at the end of the day, we'll view the missile defense money as well spent as opposed to the war on poverty money which apparently has delivered nothing.

You look back at the first version of anything and it typically sucks balls compared to several versions later.

Look that the computer you're typing on? Advanced kind of far since the first ever right? Now what if someone way back then said, "Look at this piece of shit. No one will ever use this. Its big, clumsy and far too expensive. We should scrap this idea now." and people listened to them?

The first version of this laser isn't going to be all that great and the tests aren't going to be complicated. But what about this laser ten versions from now? Something like this has real potential to render nuclear missiles obsolete (Translation: No nuclear war). That would be a good thing right?

Thank You Ronnie Ray gun for your foresight and wisdom to fund the program

Fuck you Bill and Hillary for claiming this will not work and not continuing the research.

THank you GW bush for continuing the research

FUck you Obama for cutting 1.6billion in funding for the missle defense program. Then negotiating it away with the Soviets and looking to sell the technology to anyone will money to his PAC

THEL/ABL was allegedly successfully tested in 2000 - I'm confused, which laser guidance system is this?

Ten years is a long time to perfect laser "stacking" and optimize adaptive optics. Then again development and successful testing of such effective weapons is always projected to start a laser arms-race.

Most underwhelming military statement from THEL testing "We've just turned science fiction into reality." [facepalm]

In a Tom Wicker NY Times story reprinted in the St Petersberg Times on May 12, 1984 (1), Obama's Weapons Czar, Ashton Carter, is quoted as declaring that Reagan's "Star Wars" (SDI) was nothing but a pipe dream. Apparently, Mr. Carter - - was the author of a report during his stint at MIT that sought to end on Reagan's plans for missile defenses.

The Democrats group called the "Congressional Office of Technology Assessment" issued a scathing report denouncing the efficacy of missile defenses, basing their conclusions on Carter's work.

In his report, Carter stated: "A consensus of the informed members of the defense technical community that the prospect of a successful missile defense was so remote that it should not serve as the basis for public expectation or national policy".

Of course, unlike Reagan, Ashton Carter did not know that Reagan intended to bankrupt the USSR in a race for missile defenses as well as lay the groundwork for fully functional systems.

But surely Mr. Carter was fully cured of his naivete by the time he was hired on as under secretary of Defense by Bill Clinton? Well it turns out that he also was one of the prime architects for the deal with the North Korean commies to halt their nuclear programs in 1994 (2).

So it looks like Obama's czar is batting .000.

At laest one positive thing came from Mr. Carter's supposed expertise. It convinced Walter Mondale to run on a platform opposing SDI (3).

** So lets see....Wrong on Iraq, Wrong on Stimulas, Wrong on the Economy in General, Wrong on Terriorism, Wrong on Health care, and wrong on SDI. *** The only logical conclusion is for a person to wait to see which side of an issue the democrats are ...and then go the other way *****

Thank You Ronnie Ray gun for your foresight and wisdom to fund the program
Fuck you Bill and Hillary for claiming this will not work and not continuing the research.
THank you GW bush for continuing the research
FUck you Obama for cutting 1.6billion in funding for the missle defense program. Then negotiating it away with the Soviets and looking to sell the technology to anyone will money to his PAC
#32 | Posted by WI_Hunter at 2010-02-19 02:25 PM

Uh.. you've got your timeline and Presidents backwards - the "missile defense" was never actionable. The real development are directed energy weapons the entire time - which trumps missiles 100%. Sorry for your misplaced anger, but Republicans purposefully filter funds into bogus development to this day. They are war profiteers, after all.

Red Light...You really are not this out of touch with reality are you? Is the Prozac not helping?

Remember how much the progressives made fun of Ronny Reagan for funding that research? And Bush?
Hmmmmm....now that our Fuhrer is funding it, it's A-OK....

Exactly wi hunter. Dems have mocked 'star wars' defense systems for 25+ years.

FUck you Obama for cutting 1.6billion in funding for the missle defense program. Then negotiating it away with the Soviets and looking to sell the technology to anyone will money to his PAC

I have heard it said many times over that the weapons sold or negotiated away by the US are either obsolete or nearing obsolesence. And, it makes sense. Why would we sell something that potentially could be used against us for which we would have no defense? I suspect, that any decrease in missle defense spending was directed toward programs that use outdated technology.

#32 | POSTED BY WI_HUNTER
"FUck you Obama for cutting 1.6billion in funding for the missle defense program. Then negotiating it away with the Soviets and looking to sell the technology to anyone will money to his PAC"

Obama negotiated with the Soviets?
Wow.

"Outdated", how about not yet created, decades from being viable?

Can you say green energy?

Red Light...You really are not this out of touch with reality are you? Is the Prozac not helping?
#36 | Posted by foshaffer at 2010-02-19 03:54 PM

New technology takes time.

It's so great watching someone rail against wasteful spending concerning one thing but applaud it in another. Does your back hurt when you twist like that?

Are control variables not allowed in experiments or tests anymore?

Sure they are. I would expect them to do that. Well, actually, I would have expected them to do this several years ago after the first few billion. Instead, they've renamed the program who knows how many times to get more funding for it.

Dems have mocked 'star wars' defense systems for 25+ years.

SDI, as Reagan proposed it, was really just a blatent attempt to weaponize space in the name of "defense".

It would have led to a new space race, one not of exploration but of proliferation of offensive space based weapons by every nation on earth capable of launching sommat into space.

The use of airborne anti missile laser technology that works in a defensive capability will not have that same effect.

And yes, a lot of money has been "wasted" to date on FAILed anti-missile systems including the Patriot Missile system but that is still not a good enough reason to be giving up on the idea.

Be Well.

Sooo....Deathspud...given your statement - Obama's Weapons Czar is dead wrong as were the democrats in thier assessment of Reagan initatives - and the various DEMS that cut the funding for it and ran against it were dead wrong as well (along with the dems and liberal that protested against the deployment of missiles in Western Europe during the '80s)? If so ...great to see you coming around.

** Repost from above ****

Obama's Weapons Czar, Ashton Carter, is quoted as declaring that Reagan's "Star Wars" (SDI) was nothing but a pipe dream. Apparently, Mr. Carter - - was the author of a report during his stint at MIT that sought to end on Reagan's plans for missile defenses.

The Democrats group called the "Congressional Office of Technology Assessment" issued a scathing report denouncing the efficacy of missile defenses, basing their conclusions on Carter's work.

In his report, Carter stated: "A consensus of the informed members of the defense technical community that the prospect of a successful missile defense was so remote that it should not serve as the basis for public expectation or national policy".

Sooo....Deathspud...given your statement - Obama's Weapons Czar is dead wrong as were the democrats in thier assessment of Reagan initatives - and the various DEMS that cut the funding for it and ran against it were dead wrong as well (along with the dems and liberal that protested against the deployment of missiles in Western Europe during the '80s)? If so ...great to see you coming around.
** Repost from above ****
Obama's Weapons Czar, Ashton Carter, is quoted as declaring that Reagan's "Star Wars" (SDI) was nothing but a pipe dream. Apparently, Mr. Carter - - was the author of a report during his stint at MIT that sought to end on Reagan's plans for missile defenses.
The Democrats group called the "Congressional Office of Technology Assessment" issued a scathing report denouncing the efficacy of missile defenses, basing their conclusions on Carter's work.
In his report, Carter stated: "A consensus of the informed members of the defense technical community that the prospect of a successful missile defense was so remote that it should not serve as the basis for public expectation or national policy".
#45 | Posted by foshaffer at 2010-02-20 11:18 AM

I look at this rather simply - laser trumps missile. This may be the only issue that I disagree with Dethspud. Whomever pockets this R&D money are not using it for our benefit - they are selling these technologies across the globe.

And remember the Norway spiral was projected from the nearby HAARP station..