Short Takes – 11-19-24

Air Defense: Anti Drone Laser That Works. StrategyPage.com article. Pull quote: “The billions [spent on laser weapons development] have not been wasted, but they did buy a lot of disappointment. At the same time, the money and development effort has, slowly, moved the technology towards the point where lasers will be robust enough, and sufficiently supplied with energy, to make themselves effective for the troops. Close now, but not there yet. The Department of Defense fears that a sharp reduction of the defense budget will halt the development money. That would stop work, except for what the manufacturers might continue on their own nickel, and battlefield lasers would remain suspended just short of being useful.”

SpaceX Starship’s Sonic Boom Creates Risk of Structural Damage, Test Finds. NYTimes.com article (free). Pull quote: “The data Dr. Gee collected last month did have some inconsistencies. When measuring just in the frequencies that humans typically hear — ignoring certain low and high frequencies — the Starship test launch in October had lower levels at all the test sites than the F.A.A. had projected.”

No Wires Needed! Quick and Safe Docking with Automated Mooring for Autonomous Ships. NewsWise.com article. Pull quote: ““This automated mooring system represents a key advancement in the safe docking of autonomous vessels and will play a pivotal role in the development of smart port infrastructure,” said Dr. Yongjin Kim. “We expect this solution to set a new standard in operational safety and efficiency across the marine industry.”” Another potentially vulnerable OT cyber system.

Starships and space policy. TheSpaceReview.com article. Pull quote: “Greg Autry, who served on the first Trump administration’s NASA transition team, offered a similar note of caution. “If it was just to show that we could beat China, if it was another flags and footprints mission, then I’d be for that,” Autry, currently associate provost of space commercialization and strategy at the University of Central Florida, said at the Beyond Earth Symposium. “But the Moon has both strategic purposes, militarily, and economic development purposes that Mars doesn’t.”” Looks at Musk as a force in the next administration.

Plant-based fabrics may be more toxic than polyester is to earthworms.CEN.ACS.org article.  Pull quote: “In the second set of experiments, earthworms exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of viscose for 28 days showed decreased reproduction rates compared with those exposed to polyester fibers. In earthworms exposed to lyocell, the researchers found reduced growth rates and more burrowing and churning activity.” ‘All Natural’ does not mean non-toxic.