Re: Laser lunacy

From: Chris L Peterson (clp_at_alumni.caltech.edu)
Date: 12/30/04 

Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 14:16:08 GMT

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 01:23:42 -0500, RichA <none@none.com> wrote:

>I think anyone using a laser in this way should have a nice
>five-year jail term, but is it possible to do what the second
>article said? I guess the plane would have to be a distance away
>from the laser'r in order for the beam to have entered the cockpit?
>Another thing; Wouldn't the laser have to be mounted on some
>kind of stable tracking device? The deviation due to body shake
>(from someone holding it) from the distance claimed means that it
>would be about impossible to hold it on target with any kind of
>timeframe on the order of "seconds."
>-Rich

This is something that is impossible to do with a typical class 3b laser
pointer. As you note, there is no way to hold one still enough from several
thousand feet away, and it wouldn't be bright at that distance. A searchlight
hitting a plane would be brighter and more distracting (something that happens
regularly).

Supposedly, this happened again shortly after in Colorado Springs. Frankly, I'm
suspicious that there is an element of hysteria in all this. Lately the
Department of Homeland Security has been running around warning that terrorists
with lasers are a threat to airplanes, and suddenly you have three reports of
bright green lights, from different locations, with no physical evidence at all?
Hmmm....

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

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