Lasers, Death Rays, and the Long, Strange Quest for the Ultimate Weapon
Publisher: Prometheus Books, Publishers
Published: 2019
Language: eng
Number of pages: 320
ISBN-13: 9781633884601
Subjects: Military weapons
Description: The laser--a milestone invention of the mid-twentieth century--quickly captured the imagination of the Pentagon as the key to the ultimate weapon. Veteran science writer Jeff Hecht tells the inside story of the adventures and misadventures of scientists and military strategists as they exerted herculean though often futile efforts to adapt the laser for military uses. From the 1950s' sci-fi vision of the "death ray," through the Reagan administration's "Star Wars" missile defense system, to more promising developments today, Hecht provides an entertaining history.