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I have heard of a new invention that can magnify the Sun's rays into a powerful laser via a satellite outside the Earth's atmosphere. The basic principle is like a magnifying glass, but on a much bigger and more intense scale. This thing would have the power to destroy cities!

WHERE?
JJW

I have a friend who works for NASA.

Sounds like a "Star Wars" type defense/offense initiative to me. It's well within the realm of the imagination; however, controlling the thing would be problematical. It would have to have a very high level of encryption to be hacker proof.

Weaponize! CO2 in the high Martian atmosphere is pumped into population inversion by sunlight. Orbit a couple of really big mirrors ("solar sails") and you have a multi-cubic mile laser capable of melting any terrestrial city or boiling the ocean.

1) its not new. theyve known how to make these lasers for years

2) they are not that powerful

Er, what's wrong with good old fashioned hydrogen bombs, if it's cities melted or oceans boiled you want? We've got loads of those already...