government programs are always bad

[2minkey]

check out this little shitkicker. probably provided a lot of jobs, from the contractors to the creepy university thugs.

 

[Winky]

A bankrupt nation

Yup yer right that's a total straight up waste of taxpayer dollars.

 

[2minkey]

hope and...

 

[catocom]

good for defense or weaponry, but when are we going to kick in
some new manufacturing.

I saw a nice laser machining center back when it wasn't really price efficient,
but even if we have a good one now, there's not much other infrastructure
now to make a good go of it.

I'm not really an isolationist, but geez, I think we do have to reel it in just a little now.
Outsourcing is fine, if we can keep in mostly in country.
I think contract labor is going to boom soon, maybe.

 

[ResearchMonkey]

I wonder how well it would work for crowd control?

 

[Gonz]

Once again, the military (a Constitutionally mandated expenditure) comes through

 

[Cerise]

Chain of Foos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lx52sBLtKI

 

[Winky]

good government gone bad

House of the Rising Sun - The Animals

 

[catocom]

I wonder how well it would work for crowd control?

I wonder if they have that plane ready yet that can shoot down missiles.

 

[ResearchMonkey]

I think the project is on its way out.

 

[Winky]

government programs are always bad (no shit)

The Air Force has not requested any further funds for the Airborne Laser (Boeing YAL-1)
and Air Force Chief Schwartz has said that the system
"does not reflect something that is operationally viable.”

As of February 2011, the US has spent $5.2 billion on the project.

$5,200,000,000.00 dollars well spent.

 

[Altron]

I hate articles where the writer is trying to explain a scientific concept without understanding it.

Scientists there, in coordination with the Office of Naval Research (ONR), injected a sustained 500 kilovolts (KV) of juice into a prototype accelerator where the existing limit had been 320 kV -- a world’s record, the scientists explained.

Injected juice? We ain't talking about Alex Rodriguez. They applied an electric potential.

In addition, according to Navy officials, the FEL laser can perform at different wavelengths, meaning it can operate at lower and more powerful levels so that it can be used for different applications, which other laser technology cannot. It is also not vulnerable to atmospheric conditions, as solid-state lasers are, making them wane in power depending on the weather.

It's tunable, which is nice, but is by no means a unique property of the FEL. They mean to say "wavelengths", not "levels". Other lasers can be used for different applications too. And "atmospheric conditions" - again, that has absolutely nothing to do with the lasing medium (FEL or solid state), and everything to do with the wavelength and where it fits within the atmospheric absorption spectrum.

The Navy must not only figure out a way to harness the electron beam into a light ray

no. just... no.

Regardless of poor writing, new laser developments are always exciting, as are new defense projects, so this is a win-win situation.

 

[Winky]

No it's lose lose
It did not result in an effective weapons system
and therefore was a mis-use of defense spending.

I agree with the poor writing. When some j-school
flunkie tries to write something having to do with
science its just annoying.

I doubt the Navies effort to laze incoming
supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles will have any
greater chance of success.

 

[catocom]

The truth is, we don't really know what they have, or how it's setup to be used.
We only know what they show us they have.

Naturally if they have it functioning great, they want everybody to think it's
just junk, and didn't work.

Think about it. If they wanted you to know how advanced they really have stuff,
area51 would have a touring guide.

They don't want to give it away, until they decide, or have to use it.

Personally, I think Reagan was successful with 'starwars', and an even better
version is up there right now.
Furthermore, I think they'd sacrifice quite a few people not to have to pull it
out too early.

 

[Winky]

All government programs are always bad, always.

No Cat we are not all stupid.

And some of us even have a better than layman's
understanding of quantum mechanics.

The stick a big old fat laser onna 747 and vaporize
missiles was a mega fail before it started.

The performance parameters of the F-22 Raptor are
still classified but we do know that it is far and away
the best air superiority fighter in existence.

Thing is, it hasn't anything to fight against!

The seventh century Afghani Taliban don't have an Air Force.

'nuke em till they glow and shoot em in the dark'

 

[catocom]

Re: All government programs are always bad, always.

No Cat we are not all stupid.

there's a difference in being stupid, and being a mushroom.
I wasn't implying anyone was stupid.

So, do you know if there's any gold left in fort knox too?

 

[Winky]

The truth is out there

ya know how all the presidents end up going gray?
It’s cuz they tell em what’s really in the basement
of area 51.

As for Fort Knox, the last of the gold was replaced
with gold plated ingots of lead early in 91.

 

[2minkey]

hey whatever happened to reagan's "star wars?"

 

[Winky]

Another failed system with no where to use it.

It has prudy much evolved into THAAD

 

[catocom]

hey whatever happened to reagan's "star wars?"

if it isn't up there, the "cold war" never really ended.