The Governator unveils the worlds most powerful laser

[saaya]

http://vr-zone.com/forums/438396/wor...ornia-lab.html

LIVERMORE, Calif. (AP) � The world's most powerful laser, created to help keep tabs on the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile while also studying the heavens, has been unveiled.

The super laser, known officially as the National Ignition Facility, was unveiled Friday at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory about 50 miles east of San Francisco.

The NIF, which is the size of a football field, consists of 192 separate laser beams, each traveling 1,000 feet in one-thousandth of a second to converge simultaneously on a target the size of a pencil eraser.

sis veel be pat of skoi-nit in twantee yiars

[Smartidiot89]

sis veel be pat of skoi-nit in twantee yiars

So pretty much Arnold will take over the world with he's big gun in time for launch of "Terminator: Salvation" ?

[saaya]

its out already
not bad btw, nice action movie, the story is weird, especially in the end... but nice movie

[Cold Fussion]

each traveling 1,000 feet in one-thousandth of a second

If you don't know that light travels at the speed of light then life is too good for you.

[003]

This keeping tabs on our nuclear stock pile and researching greener energy sources is 10 pounds of bull in a 5 pound bag. This is a missile defense system.

[XS_Rich]

You hear this a lot with new lasers, but how exactly do they keep tabs on nuclear stockpiles (genuine question)?

[Gogeta]

Popcorn!

[LexDiamonds]

It was my understanding that this project was intended to move us closer to an economically viable form of fusion... its not meant to shoot down nukes...

[Exal]

the facility is meant for fusion, they are fusing trition and deuterium

[deathman20]

It was my understanding that this project was intended to move us closer to an economically viable form of fusion... its not meant to shoot down nukes...

Its ment for viable fusion to make a laser thats powerful enough to shoot down nukes using energy created by it.

[Zaskar]

Popcorn!

Awesome movie.

[MirageSys]

It was my understanding that this project was intended to move us closer to an economically viable form of fusion... its not meant to shoot down nukes...

Look at where it is being developed. A national weapons laboratory. As with most things invented for war, it will have a "secondary", yet much greater use in peacetime endeavors. There is a long history of military development spurring innovation that changes the private sector. (computers, fiber optics, nuclear energy just to name a few)

[nebuchanezzar]

If you don't know that light travels at the speed of light then life is too good for you.

This is America...people are still amazed by the simple trick of taking a rifle and two walkie-talkies and hearing the rifle shoot first thru the walkie-talkie... expecting them to even roughly guess at the speed of...wait a minute...I was about to defend stupidity....

on second thought, QFT

This keeping tabs on our nuclear stock pile and researching greener energy sources is 10 pounds of bull in a 5 pound bag. This is a missile defense system.

Yes. Star Wars as promised by Reagan. They never really stopped dumping money into it.

It was my understanding that this project was intended to move us closer to an economically viable form of fusion... its not meant to shoot down nukes...

Yes and no. See comment below for more.

Look at where it is being developed. A national weapons laboratory. As with most things invented for war, it will have a "secondary", yet much greater use in peacetime endeavors. There is a long history of military development spurring innovation that changes the private sector. (computers, fiber optics, nuclear energy just to name a few)

In other words that's how they sell it to us to fund their cool new weapon toys. Afterwards they let some of the tech trickle down to us common folk.

[cobra_kai]

Yes... they are designing a laser system that can surround an ICBM in mid air with a football field and shoot it down by punching an eraser sized hole in the missile... sounds like a great plan. Learn something about inertial confinement fusion reactors before you go spouting off nonsense

[twilyth]

You hear this a lot with new lasers, but how exactly do they keep tabs on nuclear stockpiles (genuine question)?

I don't know, but light can generate pressure. Since you detonate a nuke by first compressing it to critical mass, they might be able to simulate a detonation with the laser.

It would be nice to know how many jigga-watts it is and if it has a game interface.

[cowie]

no the lazer is to burn the guys eyes out that hits the red botton...err sry i had to.