But the photons made it through the atmosphere in the first place to be collected by the reflectors. Is there just not enough energy left to make it back out before cooling off?
It’s not even coherent when the sun emits it. For one, it consists of a large range of wavelengths…
And I doubt there’s a way to make light coherent at that order of magnitude.
No that’s not true only about 30% of light energy scatters when traveling through the atmosphere to earth and certain wavelengths are almost completely absorbed in the way down. So on the way back up it should be a high portion make it to the satellite I would imagine 80%. Even worse case scenario 200 megawats shinning on a satellite would vaporize it almost instantly.
Keep in mind that atmospheric interference would likely scatter the light enough to be ineffective
So you’re saying we should weaponize the James Webb space telescope instead? :D
I like the cut of your jib
But the photons made it through the atmosphere in the first place to be collected by the reflectors. Is there just not enough energy left to make it back out before cooling off?
That’s the assumption, yes. But if the beams are coherent (like a laser) atmospheric interference would be a lot smaller.
The real question is whether the light would be coherent, which I lean towards no on.
It’s not even coherent when the sun emits it. For one, it consists of a large range of wavelengths… And I doubt there’s a way to make light coherent at that order of magnitude.
No that’s not true only about 30% of light energy scatters when traveling through the atmosphere to earth and certain wavelengths are almost completely absorbed in the way down. So on the way back up it should be a high portion make it to the satellite I would imagine 80%. Even worse case scenario 200 megawats shinning on a satellite would vaporize it almost instantly.