[ExI] Obama Transition Team Examining Space Solar Power

[spike]

> On Mon, Dec 29, 2008 at 8:44 PM, Kevin H 
> <kevin.l.holmes at gmail.com> wrote:
...
> >>
> >> Attacking anything in GEO would be exceedingly and reassuringly 
> >> difficult for a terrorist group, even a well funded one.
> >>
> >> spike
> >
> > Is it possible to construct a laser or other beam weapon that 
> > can/could disable a SPS (or other artificial satellite) in 
> orbit?  If 
> > that's ruled out, then I'm not worried.


Kevin, sorry I haven't answered this one, as I have been working some family
issues.

Hitting a satellite in LEO with a laser requires a sophisticated control
system.  Hitting one in GEO with enough energy to damage it requires one
hell of a lot of power.  So either task is difficult, but not impossible.
By the time a laser gets 36000 km, it has spread enough that it would take a
hell of a laser to damage a surface capable of handling a solar heat load.

spike