Spy satellites may soon be fitted with artificial “eyelids” to protect them from the blinding flash of enemy lasers, New Scientist reports in its upcoming issue on Saturday.
A powerful laser beam sent from the ground is enough to cripple the extremely delicate optical sensors with which orbiting military satellites capture highly-detailed pictures of enemy sites.
A company in North Carolina, MCNC, has now developed eyelids that can close in a split second to protect the sensors, the British scientific weekly says.
“Basically, you don’t want to put a billion-dollar satellite into orbit if someone can put it out of action with a laser the next day,” MCNC engineer Gary McGuire explained.
The shields are made from a thin sheet of glass that is covered with transparent electrodes made from an oxide of indium and tin.
Attached like a hinge to the edge of each transparent electrode is an opaque electrode.
By passing opposite voltages to the two sets, an electrostatic attraction is created, pulling the opaque electrodes down and shutting the eyelid. Switch off the voltage, and the eyelid springs back up.
In tests, the eyelid was able to open and close 4,000 times a second, although this speed will have to be improved many times more in order to protect sensors from an unexpected laser attack.
This article appeared in the March 18 issue of New Scientist New Scientist. Copyright 1999 – All rights reserved. The material on this page is provided by New Scientist and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without written authorization from New Scientist.
