WASHINGTON (Reuter) -- U.S. government space scientists have launched a miniature rocket using a ground-based laser beam for propulsion, the Advanced Space Transportation Program (ASTP) said Tuesday.
The scientists, working at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, aimed a 10 kilowatt pulsed carbon dioxide laser at the "launch vehicle" and raised it seven feet off the ground, spokeswoman June Malone said.
The object, which is about four inches in diameter and weighs about two ounces, has a reflector at the rear to concentrate the heat. This heats the air, which then blasts out of a nozzle, she added.
The latest test was the first of its kind in free flight. In previous tests the rocket was suspended from a wire.
Malone quoted the scientists as saying the energy of the laser beam did dissipate with distance from the source. "But ground-based energy is cheap," she added.
The program, a joint venture between the Marshall Space Flight Center in Hunstville, Alabama, and the Phillips Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, is examining a variety of unconventional propulsion systems.
In the next experiment, the miniature rocket will have a more sophisticated guidance system for steering it.
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Wow, i enjoyed that, and would like to see what other wacky stories lie in store for me
Boy, this entire news about laser and dogs thing is way lame... I wonder if there could possibly be anything lamer on this page?