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In any event, the outcome of the test was remarkable: although the MIRACL laser itself basically failed, a lower-powered companion laser, intended merely to align the system and track the satellite, proved sufficiently powerful to blind the target satellite temporarily without destroying or damaging
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The announcement of Friday's laser test caused some political rock-throwing in and outside of
Washington because of claims by some that the test is the first step in the militarization of space and a potential violation of treaties. The Miniature Sensor Technology Integration (MSTI-3) satellite was
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Both the MIRACL laser, which was damaged during the test, and a lower-power (30-watt) laser primarily intended for system alignment and satellite tracking were used. Results of the test are classified, but the DOD did report that the system tracked and illuminated the satellite, and the lower-power
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The MSTI 3 satellite served as a target for the US Armys Mid-Infra-Red
Advance Chemical Laser (MIRACL) at White Sands, NM, to demonstrate the capability of a laser to interfere with the optical train, and analyze the data to determine the effect on the optics. The test consisted of a 1 sec burst to
304:
The experiment is being conducted by the U.S. Army's Mid-Infra-Red
Advanced Chemical Laser (MIRACL) located at White Sands Missile Range, NM. The satellite that will be used for the test, the U.S. Air Force Miniature Sensor Technology Integration program's third satellite (MSTI-3), has exceeded its
446:
The Mid-Infrared
Chemical Laser was slightly damaged twice during tests against the Air Force's Miniature Sensor Technology Integration (MSTI-3) satellite in October. The purpose of the tests was to evaluate the effect of the laser on the satellite's infrared sensors. Program experts believe that
165:
The Mid-Infrared
Advanced Chemical Laser (MIRACL) is the first megawatt-class, continuous wave, chemical laser built in the free world. It is a deuterium fluoride (DF) chemical laser with energy spectra distributed among about ten lasing lines between 3.6 and 4.0 microns wavelength. Since it first
55:
of output for up to 70 seconds, making it the most powerful continuous wave (CW) laser in the US. Its original goal was to be able to track and destroy anti-ship cruise missiles, but in later years it was used to test phenomenologies associated with national anti-ballistic and anti-satellite laser
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at a distance of 432 km (268 mi). MIRACL failed during the test and was damaged and the
Pentagon claimed mixed results for other portions of the test. A second, lower-powered chemical laser was able to temporarily blind the MSTI-3 sensors during the test.
246:
Later tests also were conducted at White Sands
Missile Range aimed at finding out how effective a laser would be. For these tests, the nation's most powerful laser, the Mid-Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser, was
447:
when the power was ramped up, a shock wave in the gases within the deuterium fluoride laser resulted, and caused it to move, which then caused a small amount of melting inside the device.
287:
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The beam size in the resonator is about 21 by 3 cm (8.3 by 1.2 in) wide. The beam is then reshaped to a 14 cm × 14 cm (5.5 in × 5.5 in) square.
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useful lifetime. The experiment will have two parts: (1) very brief laser illuminations of less than one second, and (2) an illumination of less than 10 seconds.
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the onboard sensors. Few had anticipated that what was essentially a piece of commercially available apparatus could have such militarily significant effects.
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357:"illuminated" by a high-powered, ground-based laser housed at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico shortly after dark on Friday evening.
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weapons. Originally tested at a contractor facility in
California, as of the later 1990s and early 2000s, it was located at the former
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locate the satellite, followed by a 10 sec burst. This was the first test of a LASER against an orbiting satellite.
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229:: Airborne Laser System Program Office. 27 February 2003. p. 5. Archived from
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281:"Secretary Of Defense Approves Laser Experiment To Improve Satellite Protection"
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The MIRACL laser first became operational in 1980. It can produce over a
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lased in 1980, it has accumulated well over 3500 seconds of lasing time.
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laser either temporarily dazzled or damaged the satellite's sensor.
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Death by
Moderation: The U.S. Military's Quest for Useable Weapons
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25:
SeaLite Beam
Director, commonly used as the output for the MIRACL.
20:
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Amid much controversy in October 1997, MIRACL was tested against
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Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
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On the Edge of Earth: The Future of American Space Power
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371:"Miniature Sensor Technology Integration (MSTI) (U)"
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United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command
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462:"Chapter 7 – Antisatellite Weapons"
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186:"Mid-Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser (MIRACL)"
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8:
939:Directed-energy weapons of the United States
944:Military equipment introduced in the 1980s
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176:
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322:"Pentagon beams over military laser test"
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112:at the end of its original mission in
459:Koplow, David A. (30 November 2009).
7:
864:
862:
807:
805:
546:A History Of Anti-Satellite Programs
34:Mid-Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser
406:Bull, Leona C. (11 December 1997).
184:; Sherman, Robert (21 March 1998).
882:. You can help Knowledge (XXG) by
825:. You can help Knowledge (XXG) by
626:Lambakis, Steven (3 August 2001).
40:developed by the US Navy. It is a
14:
599:Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
564:from the original on 27 July 2022
376:Federation of American Scientists
191:Federation of American Scientists
866:
809:
621:45b681ab653fd446e1e2737622bc7f1a
290:. 2 October 1997. Archived from
612:10.1080/00963402.1998.11456798
408:"MIRACL damaged in experiment"
369:Zack, Ed (10 September 1998).
151:. 9 April 2002. Archived from
1:
592:Lowery, Todd (January 1998).
554:Union of Concerned Scientists
636:University Press of Kentucky
551:. Global Security Program.
219:Airborne Laser (YAL-1A)
970:
861:
804:
750:All gas-phase iodine laser
475:Cambridge University Press
285:U.S. Department of Defense
140:White Sands Missile Range
93:White Sands Missile Range
874:This article related to
413:Aerotech News and Review
42:deuterium fluoride laser
227:Kirtland Air Force Base
821:-related article is a
791:Directed-energy weapon
38:directed energy weapon
26:
16:Directed energy weapon
557:(Report). p. 7.
24:
477:. pp. 150–187.
225:(Technical report).
644:10.2307/j.ctt5hjzw2
346:on 30 December 2007
320:(20 October 1997).
75: /
634:(First ed.).
594:"Call it a Miracl"
473:(First ed.).
383:on 31 October 2000
261:Unknown parameter
79:32.632°N 106.332°W
27:
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770:Gas dynamic laser
283:(Press release).
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638:. p. 63.
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46:chemical laser
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689:. Retrieved
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542:Grego, Laura
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518:– via
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434:the original
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107:US Air Force
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44:, a type of
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765:ElectricOIL
662:j.ctt5hjzw2
82: /
70:106°19′55″W
923:Categories
760:COIL laser
606:(1): 5–6.
522:. p.
493:2009017285
332:Washington
182:Pike, John
145:New Mexico
121:References
67:32°37′55″N
60:facility (
686:34003088M
678:880890003
509:23223530M
501:320434538
422:1094-7302
265:ignored (
110:satellite
91:) in the
876:weaponry
743:Chemical
670:00012288
617:ProQuest
559:Archived
430:56975066
135:"MIRACL"
53:megawatt
819:physics
784:Aspects
340:Reuters
36:, is a
775:MIRACL
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30:MIRACL
878:is a
817:This
755:HF/DF
658:JSTOR
562:(PDF)
549:(PDF)
416:: 1.
247:used.
234:(PDF)
223:(PDF)
114:orbit
58:MAR-1
32:, or
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693:2022
674:OCLC
666:LCCN
648:ISBN
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497:OCLC
489:LCCN
479:ISBN
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426:OCLC
418:ISSN
389:2022
352:2022
300:2022
267:help
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