It isn't resistance to the beam, it's the scattering and absorbtion of the light. From an optical, if not breathing, standpoint there's still plenty of atmosphere (and ice particles) up to 15km and beyond.
Laymans terms, laymans terms When used on ICBM's in the "boost" stage is it fair to say that weather won't affect the laser because it will be used above it..?
Not what it was designed for. Targets that aren't highly stressed, ( a missile at high speed ) may or may not be sufficiently adversely affected by the beam which heats the skin. Any other use (besides missiles) is speculation at this point.
There is. And surely that has been taken into account in the design parameters. What Man says is true though that interception should occur above the weather, as we think of weather.
Rain droplets are "death" of a laser beam becouse of dissipation of light, same goes for fog (i.e. clouds). Basicly SDI (Strategic Defence Initiative = Star wars program) of Regan era was considered as breach of ABM treaty with SSSR. I could be countered simply by increasing number of ICBM's (soviet general staff estimate was at 10% of cost of SDI - source Dobrinin). That is why entire program was shelved at the time.
And that is relevant to this particular system... how? What is your point? And? The SDI was probably part of Reagan's plan to bankrupt the SSSR through pacing up the arms race. 10% of the SDI cost = no more Trabants
Even at the time it was known that the program would be a long term one and research has been ongoing. The innovations of today are an outgrowth of those early programs. The last I heard the warheads from these excess Soviet ICBMs were being dismantled by the US and being used in our nuclear powerplants as fuel.
Acctualy didn't do much to couter SDI (no additional missiles built they just relocated some SS-20's to Europe).
where they were soon melted down to forge 10 lb sledge hammers later used to bust down the berlin wall...
Sledgehammers that glow in the dark????? Acctualy they were not but were mostly returned to central russia, and some were dismantled. You probably mean SS-23 (short range balistic missile).
