Laser won't work against China's HGV

[Martian2]

China's HGV flies at Mach 10. However, at Mach 10, a re-entry plasma sheath forms (see citation below). Diffraction will dissipate the laser beam.

Piercing the Plasma: Ideas to Beat the Communications Blackout of Reentry - Scientific American
"Nov 18, 2009 - In the case of reentering spacecraft and hypersonic aircraft, the plasma-shock boundaries form at speeds of about Mach 10. The space shuttle ..."
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Look at the photograph. You can see the plasma sheath around the Space Shuttle. That causes diffraction. A laser beam will be scattered hither and thither. A Chinese HGV should be able to home-in on a naval ship without a problem. Firstly, it's protected by a laser-scattering plasma sheath. Secondly, a laser only has about a short 0.5 seconds to lase the HGV before impact.

Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134 Nighttime Re-Entry | Balrog's Lair

"Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134 Nighttime Re-Entry
Posted on June 2, 2011 by Bob Trembley

Shot early in the early morning of June 1, 2011 from Merida Yucatan Mexico, Noé Castillo captured this amazing video of Endeavour’s fiery re-entry."
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[gambit]

Right...So this represents the end of laser development.

Quick...Somebody alert the world's scientists.

 

[Vaishnu]

@Martian2
As per my basic high school science diffraction occur's only when the size of the obstacle is comparable to the wavelength of the light used ? But here the HGV is very large compared to wavelength . So how is the diffraction possible through the special plasma?

 

[Martian2]

@Martian2
As per my basic high school science diffraction occur's only when the size of the obstacle is comparable to the wavelength of the light used ? But here the HGV is very large compared to wavelength . So how is the diffraction possible through the special plasma?

Look at the plasma sheath. It looks like a bulging shield in front of the Shuttle.

If you can't communicate via electromagnetic waves with the Shuttle while it's encased in a plasma sheath, what makes you think a laser can maintain coherence? A laser is merely an electromagnetic wave in the visual spectrum.

It's not the HGV that's causing the diffraction. It's the plasma sheath that's causing the diffraction.

The plasma consists of atoms with electrons ripped off. The atoms with missing electrons are causing the diffraction.

 

[opruh]

Right...So this represents the end of laser development.

Quick...Somebody alert the world's scientists.

You go first.

 

[A1Kaid]

I think you maybe right the plasma sheath would diffract an incoming laser. Though depending on the strength of the laser how much of it reaches through the plasma layer and hits the HGV is the question.