Sunday, December 8, 2024

How bacteria are inspiring the next generation of space-borne lasers

NASAHow bacteria are inspiring the next generation of space-borne lasers



Solar-powered lasers that run on the photosynthetic machinery of bacteria could one day provide a low mass, simple and sustainable means of providing power in space, replacing the usual heavy lenses and complex electronics that aren’t very cost-effective to launch.

“Our plan is to use photosynthetic structures extracted from bacteria, and the idea is that you can grow them and keep replenishing material, you don’t need to maintain a supply line from Earth,” Erik Gauger, a professor of photonics and quantum science at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh and leader of the new project, told Space.com.

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