Space Access 2010 - Leik Myrabo, on The RPI Laser Propulsion Laboratory/International Collaboration On Hypersonic BEP With Brazil/LTI Work With Umea I

Leik Myrabo is working on a variety of projects. He’ll talk about naonsat program. He is working with some issues. He talked about beam powered space flight also in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

First Visionary future

What has changed recently is the price of lasers has dropped dramatically. Leik will share his vision of how to move people and good around the world in an environmentally friendly way.

He uses the term “light craft” to refer to something that doesn’t carry a power source. “LightPort” provides the power. His model is using lasers to power the crafts to move people to pretty much any where in the world in about 45 minutes. He has written a book about some of this proposal. The book is “Lightcraft Flight Handbook LTI-20: Hypersonic Flight Transport for an Era Beyond Oil” He warns that it isn’t light reading.

He beliefs this might come together starting around 2025. It would slowly edge out airplanes. He is working with a group of students in Sweden. They had a project to look at how a business traveler might use such a transportation system. Leik showed pictures from the project. The students put short movies. Here is one of them:

Aurora Spacelines | Laser Powered business-trips from niklas palm on Vimeo.

He showed a few more videos.


Leik has also been working on a Brazilian project. Chemical rockets needs to carry their fuel. Laser launched systems don't need to carry fuel. He covered some of the technical issues. The experiments he has been running have used crafts about 12 inches across.

He has also been working with the Air Force to launch Nano Satellites, any where, on demand.


The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links


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