在克利夫兰的国家航空和宇宙航行局刘易斯研究中心,已经着手一项判断高功率激光器用于宇宙飞行器的推进和动力上的可能性的计划。据刘易斯中心激光器和能量系统小组组长D. L. Nored说,激光推动的宇宙飞船,即使证明是实用的,离开应用至少也有十年时间。但是,激光推动和动力的可能成果——比如,宇宙拖船的有效载荷能力提高400%——非常之大,人们认为,该项计划值得继续进行到证明这概念是否实用的程度。基本概念看来是很简单的:将地面或别的宇宙站激光发生站(那里重量是不成问题的)的激光能量发送到重量要求苛刻的宇宙 At the NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, a project to determine the feasibility of high-power lasers for propulsion and propulsion of spacecraft has been initiated. According to D. L. Nored, group leader for laser and energy systems at Lewis Center, laser-powered spacecraft, even though proven to be functional, have been left for at least ten years. However, the likely outcome of laser propulsion and power - say, a 400% increase in the payload capacity of a spaceboat - is thought to be very large, and it is thought worthwhile to go ahead and prove the usefulness of the concept. The basic concept seems simple: send laser energy from a ground station or another station at a laser station where weight is not a problem, to a demanding-weight universe