Congrats Dr. Hathaway!

Last week, Boeing fired their high-energy chemical laser aboard a C-130 Hercules aircraft for the first time ever! Chris and Mitch had perfected the system, and Kent helped by mounting the optics.

It was the first step in the challenge to achieve a fully functional laser-based anti-missile system next year. According to Boeing, the ATL will "destroy, damage or disable targets with little to no collateral damage," thanks to its "ultra-precision engagement capability". After conducting a series of additional laser tests on the ground and in the air, the program will fire the chemical laser in-flight at mission-representative ground targets. The test team will fire the laser through a rotating turret that extends through the aircraft's belly. It was only last year that the high-energy laser concluded laboratory testing, demonstrating reliable operations in more than 50 firings.

"Needless to say, I was a little despondent about the meltdown. But then, in the midst of my preparation for hara-kiri, it came to me: it is possible to synthesize excited bromide in an argon matrix. Yes, its an excimer, frozen in its excited state."