European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 21, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Billion Dollar Star wars laser project flounders by William j. Broad new York times i because of Federal Hudgel cuts construction has barely begun on the giant Star wars Arm missile laser project at White Sands. the main achievements have been construction of an Access Road water main and Power line. Work has also begun on two support buildings. Twid futuristic laser Itsell is nowhere to be seen. Military officials say she s Lvalion will Temam that Way for a Hall dozen years or so. And possibly longer if an unfriendly candidate wins the whits House. It s said col James f. Mcnutly o he army head of the project. As he gazed across me laser site Loward it Slang mountains. We planned to be further along by although research has advanced on Many fronts. Is Concrete application in big projects has been stowed by congressional cuts in budget requests by the grounding of the nation s space shuttle lest by disputes among tie military services Progress has also been braked by Ihn program s own pigs and tags of it has searched Lor ways to achieve the president s Goat Tho research is going great guns said i. Gen. John f. Wall commander of the army s anti missile programs. But Lor the projects we re talking Macj Bucks. When you need a chunk of Money that big something olten has to give the laser venture in the desert at White Sands which is run by the army is the largest and most costly of Iho hundreds of anti missile projects under Way across the nation. Ii centers on the creation of a laser that works by jostling electrons with magnetic Fields in order to tease them into producing powerful beams of Light. When finished this free Electron laser is to be three to four Miles Long ils main apparatus buried in Concrete tunnels beneath the desert. The aim is to lest whether us beam can Cut through Iho Alm Osheie and Bounce off orbiting minors. In War such a beam would to aimed at incoming missiles to damage or destroy them. The project is key to the military s Lon term aspirations. Some of the anti missile weapons now under development have been around Lor decades such As Small projectiles meant to smash into targets. Bui free Electron lasers barely existed when president Reagan look Ollice. They were singled out for Quick development but their perfection As giant weapons is seen As a daunting task the ally action is thai Irce Etc Iron lasers Are viewed As one of Lew technologies that in theory have enough Power to iry to approach the original anti missile goal. In contrast the older Mote mature technologies now being readied Lor possible deployment in the 1990s would Slop Only a fraction of enemy warheads aimed at the United slates. This oilers the biggest payout said Mcnulty the project s director. Just Blore entering the vast a Panse of the missile Range at White Sands a visitor passes the Star wars Deli in Organ. . Inside a contracted s poster of the ground based laser is prominently displayed above counters slacked with cold cuts. We gel Call All the time to Sec if ii o Star wars project is hiring said Shelley a Williamson As she prepared a Turkey and Swiss on Rye. I Tell Lem. We make sandwiches nol missiles " Al the laser site about 25 Miles of Organ near the Loo Hills of the Jarilla mountains construction had clearly been slower than expected All of impediments having Arisen. One sees numerous trenches dug by who wanted to make sure no prehistoric artefacts were in the area Tho project was publicly unveiled in july 1086 and ground was broken Early last year. Soon alter the Endeavor fell victim to budget cuts. Today construction work has slowed the number of hard hats running from 10 to 30 on a Given Day. In addition there arc about 60 government workers based at while Sands Headquarters to oversee laser design and construction and about 85 contractors because of the slowdown the project s first phase is not expected to be finished until around 1934, at a cos Voltl billion Loz billion. For Experiment the she is to be staffed by up to 500 scientists and technicians. Just Cooling the giant laser will require an estimated 450 million Gallons of water a year a considerable amount in such an arid Region the laser beam will be adjusted by a deformable Mirror with 2.000 moving parts that researchers Hope will create a customized Light wave capable of piercing atmospheric turbulence without distortion. Ii successful the project might gel the go ahead to move into a second phase that could bring its total Cost up to �4 billion the aim being to Ere ale an even Moro powerful laser beam. Two rival groups of scientists Are racing to perfect & suitable technology Lor the laser great enough to make the giant laser a Cornerstone in achieving the anti missile goal. In a is Page report issued last november Gary r Goldstein of the Massachusetts Institute of technology s program in science and technology Lor International Security said the free Electron laser was the most promising of the anti missile program s direct of Energy weapons. He added however that it would Lall Short of the needed Power and precision and could easily be countered by a Clever enemy other experts have also expressed doubt whether the laser would prove practical As an Anli missile weapon although disappointed at the slow Pace of Progress in the new Mexico Dosell army officials soy they a
