By Jessie Scanlon
It flies on a laser beam, looks like an acorn, sounds like a hoax. But the Lightcraft is no joke. The aluminum model craft - which measures 5.2 to 5.8 inches in diameter, weighs 1.5 ounces, and carries no fuel - is proof that laser propulsion is a viable technology. Professor Leik Myrabo, who codirects the project at California's Edwards Air Force Base, believes that a scaled-up version (as rendered above) offers a low-cost supplement to traditional launch systems. "Putting a rocket into space costs at least US$10 million," he says. "We have the potential to reduce that by a factor of 100 to 1,000."
In its latest test flights, the Lightcraft reached an altitude of 73 feet powered by a 10-kilowatt infrared laser. Myrabo's ultimate goal: "to orbit within five years."
ELECTRIC WORD
Beam It Up
