Laser System to be Tested in Boulder, CO

luv_jeeps writes "Ball Aerospace is going to test fire a laser beam on Sunday night, as part of the CALIPSO project. If you live in the Colorado/Wyoming area, chances are good that you could see it. The article, a little light on details, says that the beam could be as big around as a basketball hoop."

Colorado?

[WIAKywbfatw]

Get many sharks there?

Someone has to say it. . .

[atc24]

Stop humping the laser!

I think it be cool

[RedHatLinux]

when this laser hits a house full of popcorn and totally ends the evil professor's dream of a super weapon.

Yeah I actually did watch a Val Kilmer film, But I was young so please forgive me :)

Re:Colorado?

[stendec]

I'm afraid you misinterpreted the system's specifications. Nowhere is it documented that this will be a fricken-laser test; rather, it is a standard laser test.

Difficulties involved in getting phase coherence with fricken photons has yet to be resolved, but they're working on it.

Caution

[corrie]

From the article:

"The company has taken special precautions to protect aircraft and birds that might fly into the beam."

I hope all those ducks got the memo.

yeah, sure

[arabagast]

"If you see a piercing green light shooting into the sky Sunday night, it's not aliens, it's the work of scientists at Ball Aerospace.".. That`s what they want us to believe! Do not go with strange green men into theyr flying saucers on sunday - they are NOT going to give you candy as they surely will tell you .

Article: -5, Bad Pun

[Dark Lord Seth]

The article, a little light on details, says that ...

Oh, the humanity!!!

PS, Slahdot is fucked. "Score: -5, Bad Pun" is being parsed as no topic at all.

Next week's headline

[Zork the Almighty]

British secret agent in Denver!Witnesses say he drives a cool car with lots of gadgets. Single women beware!

laser article

[e_lehman]

The article, a little light on details...

Hehehehehe! Hoo-whee! You guys really crack me up...

A week later....

[insmod_ex]

...sixteen people reported blind by staring at the laser. Theyll be pulling a SCO and suing the United States for making Colorado a state and thus allowing the laser test to go on. Anyone up for a game of laser tag? :D

Re:Light on details?

[cgranade]

Linux: the OS that moves at the speed of light. Pardon me if that was a bit cutting, but I can't resist the burn...

One thing in Colorado's favour...

[WIAKywbfatw]

They have lots of mountains that could be hollowed out to make ideal bad-guy secret lairs.

Re:Caution

[EmagGeek]

"special nets have been placed below the path of the beam to catch the falling roast duck, to protect it from being splattered on the interstate"

I think that's what they meant...

How the F! do you protect birds that might fly into the beam?

Re:Birds?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're new here, aren't you?

Hmm..

[Anonymous Coward]

Wonder if this laser can remove basketball hoop sized tatoos?

The 12:00 News

[The Spanish Ninja]

And our top story this hour, the RIAA has commandeered Aerospace's big laser and has started frying mp3 downloaders. When reached for comment, they told us "The lawsuits just weren't inspiring the right kind of fear."

Re:I for one am excited

[UnknowingFool]

. . . does anybody know what it will be good for, other than vaporizing martians?

I suspect Marvin the Martian will be disappointed with the outcome of the test:

"Where's the KABOOM? There was supposed to be an earth shattering KABOOM!!"

Those damn scientific standards...

[michiel.h]

A basketballhoop? That's what? (1/15)*Volkswagen Beetle?

I'm Dutch. We play soccer, not basketball.
Insensitive clods.

Re:Birds?

[Anonymous Coward]

Zoology interns have to put anti-dazzle goggles on all the birds they can catch.

Too bad I misread that

[Sebby]

because of the 'CO' at the end, I thought it was another SCO story, and I read it as:

"Laser System to be Tested on SCO'

... and immediately thought WooHoo!!!

Re:Next week's headline

[RealProgrammer]

This just in:

(UPI) Sources for Bell Aerospace insist their demands for "one million dollars" have been met, but they will fire the "giant laser" anyway. The White House could not be reached before press time.

Specs

[Anonymous Coward]

It's really just 157 pocket-lazers tied togeather with duct tape and flipped on at once.

Re:One thing in Colorado's favour...

[corbettw]

They have lots of mountains that could be hollowed out to make ideal bad-guy secret lairs.

There's already one there. [norad.mil]

Re:Specs

[The Spanish Ninja]

Ahh, duct tape...physical emodiment of the Force...how would we live without it?

Re:Birds?

[gnu-generation-one]

I get the part about aircraft, but how will they protect the birds?

This from a country which just finished eating 45 million turkeys? [eatturkey.com]

ACK!

[mog007]

When this thing hits the moon and destroys it, don't say I didn't warn everybody!

Or the sun! It could cause it to go nova!

I need to upgrade my tin foil hat... it isn't strong enough to resist "lasers" yet.

Re:I for one am excited

[king_penguin_05]

First of all, congratulations, you are the first person to ever refer to an Austin Powers movie as science fiction.
Secondly, you say that we have heard of "laster beams." I am unaware of this invention or of its mention in the classic science fiction film, Austin Powers.

Re:Caution

[mcc]

Just remember: The inescapable progress of science is not only ultimately beneficial to mankind. It's also delicious!

Let's just hope that they remembered to set aside an appropriate amount of funding in the grant for plum sauce.

Re:yeah, sure

[a1cypher]

Does this mean that its ok to go with strange green men boasting free candy on days other than Sunday... ? Hrmm...

Re:Colorado?

[fbg111]

The frickin-laser test also proved temporarily unworkable when Greenpeace sabotaged their operation to capture and airlift sharks to the laser test site in Colorado. Can't have a frickin-laser test without first mounting it on a shark's head. Of course, those Greenpeace spoilers are being disposed of as we speak, in an easily escapable situation involving an overly elaborate and exotic death, so they should be able to proceed with the real test shortly.

Re:I think it be cool

[Gojira Shipi-Taro]

Well then you should have disassembled the Nazi RA's Panzer and re-assembled it in his dorm room. /RealGenius: Moles and Trolls. Moles and Trolls. Work Work Work Work Work.

Re:tape it please

[va3atc]

will some kind person in Colorado video tape this event and put up a torrent for it.

Please :)

Just for goodness sakes no, no, no Quicktime! Thanks, I just had to clear that up :)

the first laser test failed

[the_REAL_sam]

here, you can see how the laser glanced off its target, without a scratch:

first laser test [starwars.com]

Re:Caution

[Alsee]

How the F! do you protect birds that might fly into the beam?

a-duh! You just paint them all silver first!

-

Re:Question... kinda.... star trek reference...

[Alsee]

Laser stands for:
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

Maser stands for:
Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

Phaser stands for:
Plaid Hippopatamus Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Rotund-mammals.

That's why phasers are so powerful, imagine being bombarded with billions and billions of plaid hippopotami!

-

Re:Caution

[sharkey]

How the F! do you protect birds that might fly into the beam?

12-gauge loaded with #4 shot. Shoot the birds BEFORE they hit the laser beam.

Re:One thing in Colorado's favour...

[flewp]

Canada? You mean America Junior?

Re:RTFA

[flewp]

and the aerography guys know what's fowl and what's weather

But what about..... FOWL WEATHER??!!!

Sorry. It *had* to be said. Whether it needed to be said out loud, well, that's another story.

Re:News from Colorado

[phrogeeb]

Watching from downtown Denver, but i guess we missed it? That bites a big one.

Didnt know there were so many CO slashdotters - we should all get together.

Cuz im sure we're all really really cool people. Slashdot readers are always cool. No losers here. Nu-uh.

Re:One thing in Colorado's favour...

[CaptnMArk]

And they have a FLASH web page. LOL