Word: lasered
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Dubbed LAGEOS, for laser geody-namic satellite, the new satellite consists of an aluminum shell dimpled with 426 so-called cube-corner prism reflectors. Each of the prisms reflects directly to the source a laser beam striking it from any angle. Inside the sphere is a solid brass core, which contributes most of the 903-Ib. satellite's weight. Because it is so small yet has so much mass, LAGEOS will not be much affected by any traces of the earth's atmosphere, particles in the solar wind, or variations in the earth's gravity field...
Future Map. NASA, working through the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, will aim high-powered pulses of laser light at the satellite from positions on the earth. By measuring the length of time the light needs to travel to the satellite and reflect to the laser stations, scientists will be able to calculate the exact distance from each laser gun to LAGEOS. Thus, by placing stations on each of the dozen or so tectonic plates that constitute the earth's surface, they can track the rate and direction of the plate movement, which results in continental drift. With stations on each...
Because Hughes' life was so shrouded by secrecy, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to assess his achievements. Beyond doubt, he possessed a visionary gift for applying the scientific breakthroughs of today to create the new products of tomorrow. With his encouragement, his companies developed the laser, communications satellites and a dizzying array of esoteric weaponry. As one senior Pentagon intelligence officer puts it, "He was something of a genius in understanding far-out concepts of electro-optical systems, infra-red sensors and other sophisticated gear from undersea to outer space...
...took many decades of research and three basic developments to make communication by optical wires a reality. One development was the invention in 1960 of the laser, a device capable of generating an intense narrow beam of light that, for all practical purposes, did not diverge. Miniaturized lasers make it possible to couple powerful light beams accurately with hair-fine glass fibers. Another was the perfection, by Corning Glass Works, of a fiber of glass so pure that it could transmit light long distances. The third accomplishment was the devising, by engineers at Bell Labs and elsewhere, of methods...
...travel along a copper wire to another phone, where they are converted back to sound waves. In a typical optical arrangement (see diagram), sound waves entering a telephone microphone are converted into electrical signals. These signals pass through an encoder, which converts them into electrical pulses that switch a laser on and off, interrupting a light beam being sent into the end of a fiber. The light thus travels in a series of pulses, not unlike Morse code, that race along the glass "wire." At the end of their journey, these light pulses are picked up by a photodetector, which...