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From: c60a-2jm@tart23.BERKELEY.EDU (Adam J. Richter;260E;;)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Powersats
Message-ID: <1575@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Fri, 31-Oct-86 23:44:50 EST
Article-I.D.: jade.1575
Posted: Fri Oct 31 23:44:50 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 3-Nov-86 20:53:59 EST
References: <531179395.amon@h.cs.cmu.edu>
Sender: usenet@jade.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: c60a-2jm@tart23.BERKELEY.EDU (Adam J. Richter)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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In article <531179395.amon@h.cs.cmu.edu> Dale.Amon@H.CS.CMU.EDU writes:
In re: powersats...
>I might add that laser transmission has also been considered as an
>alternative means of transmitting power to the surface. The laser
>technique is not as well known a quantity. Microwave energy
>transmission has been done experimentally over reasonably long distances
>with high efficiencies. Actually better than power transmission lines,
>and the cost effectiveness gap widens with distance.
	Does anyone remember the Scientific American ("Scientific
Democrat") articles on "Phase Conjugate Mirrors," or something like
that.  These little buggers are supposed to reflect back light, by
reversing the direction of every beam that hits it.  They also can
amplify light, to the point where some researchers were able to make
lasers just by waving a metal cooking spatula near them.

	Anyhow, one of their neat applications, is that if you aim a
beam through a scattering medium and it hits a phase conjugate mirror,
the "mirror" will exactly reverse the scattered light so it goes back
through the scattering medium and becomes perfrectly "unscattered."

	So here's the idea:

		Small guide beam --> LEO powersat.
		LEO powersat --> LOTS OF ENERGY focused almost
			perfectly back down the "guide beam."

Comments?

	+		+
+		Adam		+
	+		+

Adam J. Richter					...ucbvax!miro!richter
2504 College Avenue \				richter@miro.berkeley.edu
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