Lasers, Death Rays, and the Long, Strange Quest for the Ultimate Weapon: an interview with author Jeff Hecht

WASHINGTON – Lasers. A staple in science fiction for decades upon decades, they have appeared as ray guns, phasers, lightsabers and much more. But lasers, and even laser weapons, aren't restricted to sci-fi. Space.com reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

11 Feb. 2019 -- In his latest book, "Lasers, Death Rays, and the Long, Strange Quest for the Ultimate Weapon," (Prometheus Books, 2019), released Jan. 8, Jeff Hecht, a veteran science writer, details the history of real-life laser weapons.

Because adding lasers to any plan makes it seem infinitely more exciting, laser weapon inventions have ranged from the wildly improbable "death ray" to giant lasers the size of a Boeing 747 airplane.

Hecht captures the history of laser weapons while, at the same time, reflecting on their sci-fi influences. Space.com spoke with Hecht about the dramatic history of laser weapons and what separates science fiction from reality.

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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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