Laser Quote by Kelly Weinersmith
““That said, if we could build giant megalasers, there might be an additional bonus for rocketry. One group at Brown recently suggested that a powerful laser could be used to reduce air drag by as much as 95%. Imagine this: As you are being laser-blasted up, a second laser is being fired into the region ahead of you. This makes the air ahead of you less dense, so there’s less to bump into. Now your astronauts might get a little antsy, since they’re flying at well past the speed of sound with ultrapowerful lasers before and behind them, but you could solve this problem by just calling them cowards.””
About This Quote
Source Conference: Space Propulsion Symposium, 2022
She proposes using lasers to thin air ahead of rockets, reducing drag and enabling higher speeds.
In simple terms: Laser‑induced air rare could boost rocket efficiency.
Key Takeaway
Explore laser drag‑reduction tech.
Themes
innovation
space travel
physics
Mood
curious
skeptical
Type
speculative
technical
When to use this quote
- rocket launch
- hypersonic flight
- research labs
- military testing
Key Concepts
laser propulsion
drag reduction
aerodynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- Can laser drag reduction be scaled?
- What safety concerns arise?
A Different Perspective
Technical feasibility and energy costs are major challenges.
![“A laser is a weak source of energy. A laser takes [only] a few watts of energy and focuses them in a coherent stream of light. But with a laser, you can drill a hole in a diamond or wipe out cancer.” quote by Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/26c/al-ries-14351_cancer_a-laser-is-a-weak-source-of-energy-a-las_1469468.jpg)
