NEO-LISP: Deflecting near-earth objects using high average power, repetitively pulsed lasers
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States). Chemical Science and Technology Div.
- Univ. of Natal, Durban (South Africa). Physics Dept.
Several kinds of Near-Earth objects exist for which one would like to cause modest orbit perturbations, but which are inaccessible to normal means of interception because of their number, distance or the lack of early warning. For these objects, LISP (Laser Impulse Space Propulsion) is an appropriate technique for rapidly applying the required mechanical impulse from a ground-based station. In order of increasing laser energy required, examples are: (1) repositioning specially prepared geosynchronous satellites for an enhanced lifetime, (2) causing selected items of space junk to re-enter and burn up in the atmosphere on a computed trajectory, and (3) safely deflecting Earth-directed comet nuclei and earth-crossing asteroids (ECA`s) a few tens of meters in size (the most hazardous size). They will discuss each of these problems in turn and show that each application is best matched by its own matrix of LISP laser pulse width, pulse repetition rate, wavelength and average power. The latter ranges from 100W to 3GW for the cases considered. They will also discuss means of achieving the active beam phase error correction during passage through the atmosphere and very large exit pupil in the optical system which are required in each of these cases.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 10186948
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-94-3124; CONF-9409226-1; ON: DE95000863; TRN: AHC29426%%65
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ECLIM 23: laser interaction with matter,Oxford (United Kingdom),19-23 Sep 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1994]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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