Gas-laser behavior in a low-gravity environment.
Several experiments proposed for flight on the Space Shuttle require the use of gas lasers, but few data are available on the behavior of gas lasers in a low-gravity environment. The response time of the laser plasma to the absence of gravity was calculated, and low-gravity tests were conducted using a NASA KC-135 aircraft flying a parabolic trajectory.
Owen
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Space Sciences Laboratory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama 35812, USA.