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The Lightcraft: Traveling on a Laser Beam
From 1999 to 2000, a new and different kind of spacecraft caught the attention of NASA and quickly inspired a desire for inexpensive space travel. Officially dubbed the lightcraft, this tiny vehicle weighs only a few ounces and is powered by a pulsating laser beam. First created by Leik Myrabo in 1987, this invention was about as revolutionary as Robert Goddard's Saturn V rocket which propelled the first men to the moon.
The process that powers the lightcraft is rather simple. No fuel or on-board engine is needed because the ground-based laser beam is the craft's source of power. A parabola-shaped mirror focuses the laser beam into a point, causing the air inside the craft to heat to five times the temperature of the sun. Then the air is released from the back of the craft, thrusting it forward. To withstand the high temperatures, the lightcraft is made from ceramic materials and contains a supply of hydrogen to be used once the earth's atmosphere is too thin to provide an adequate amount air. Myrabo also proposed a different model lightcraft that would utilize microwaves instead of a laser beam.
The lightcraft would probably be a good alternative source for space study. The craft moves faster than the speed of sound, making launches and travel very quick. In addition, it is very small--only 15 centimeters across--and is inexpensive compared to a space shuttle. The lightcraft was intended to be used as a satellite around the earth, but a re-designed craft could even transport four people to the moon in under six hours.
The lightcraft performed very well during its tests, with several achievements. Notably, in 2000, the lightcraft set a record by climbing 233 feet into the air within 12.7 seconds. Now, however, NASA is no longer intensely investigating this innovative method of space exploration. Even so, the lightcraft has not been forgotten.
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