Solar Tower Testing for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency

[@dimetime35c]

So basically this is the world's largest ant magnifying glass.

[@1337fraggzb00N]

Good for giant ants.

[@dmeemd7787]

The stuff is awesome, talk about having a great job. One that provides actual data and you get to do really fascinating engineering stuff

[@sphinxrising1129]

Great for defending against attacking pine trees I guess.

[@dukeskyhopper]

For if the Canadian's ever attack.

[@aleph2d]

Half a pine tree

[@hyattgotti3052]

Never underestimate those pine trees, don't know what might be lurking btwn the branches and those pine leaves 😂

[@Vysair]

@@hyattgotti3052 I always wondered why those pine tree speaks vietnamese

[@1arm_658]

I'm glad to see that the US DOD has progressed all the way up to where I was as an 8 year old frying ants with a magnifying glass.

[@brettkuntze7418]

you should learn as a 8 year old tyke that CSP means business1

[@alexspareone3872]

Thetes an office building in London that used to do the same thing to parked cars until it was modified with glare damping screens.

[@alexandermills8491]

LOL gold.

[@wolfelkan8183]

I'm guessing they only actually needed to test the plastic, and then were like "hey, what would happen if we put a pine tree in the focal point?"

[@kamratframjandet]

And then, off camera, they went on with CocaCola-bottles, iPhones and crates of 10,000 firecrackers.

[@teresashinkansen9402]

I think this is going to be used for testing things against the thermal flash from nuclear explosions, can't think about anything else that this could be used, specially due the way the mirrors look like, as if they were designed with an actuator that changes the shape of each mirror to be capable of modulating the beam intensity very fast. So its actually meaningful to see how a tree would react to the thermal flash of a nuclear explosion.

[@emmanuelhudson3687]

Wow how have I never found this channel these videos are amazing ❤️

[@patrickterry779]

This was operational back in the 80s when I was stationed at Kirtland AFB. It appears to be disassembled now, some of the tower remains.

[@dmeemd7787]

This is why you don't wrap your Christmas tree with a solar power plant, might burn your house down

[@aaronduggan332]

Bet the one second tanner would go over well in Florida. Sir you look awesome !

[@gurintto]

Isn't this from the BroForce soundtrack?

[@PhilipLeichauer]

Can a garden gnome withstand the heat? They don't put up with simulated lightning strikes at all.

[@sequentialsequential]

Sandia tests more than weapons. Who hasn't used a new tool for proof of concept wreckage at work?

[@digitalsoultech]

Archimedes figured this out over 2000 years ago. Bravo team.

[@chuckkopczak9366]

Actually, I’m pretty sure that the myth busters pretty conclusively showed that with the materials and technology available at the time time Archimedes couldn’t get it done. Sorry.

[@digitalsoultech]

@@chuckkopczak9366 heard of the The Antikythera mechanism? No one thought that at that time there was enough advanced enough technology to do that. Historians don't always have full facts. Archimedes technology was described clearly in the books and was even repeatable. That wouldn't be the case if they didn't actually build it.

[@aidenthehuman5921]

This is about testing how materials respond intense, radiative heat. The kind produced by nuclear bombs. This is about testing and validating materials for us in defending against nuclear bombs.

[@chuckie0223]

Do they have tests when sun's not out like cloudy rainy day or night time? That would be fun to see if it worked then

[@sickysin7847]

Well that would ruin any aircraft polit. Good for stopping aircraft's.

[@probey76227]

Hope they don't fly at night or did I give away a major flaw in the billion dollar design?

[@sickysin7847]

@@probey76227 something that powerful would not matter day or night. It'd be like sticking a million Lumen spotlight in your face at 12 in the afternoon it's still going to burn LOL

[@probey76227]

@@sickysin7847 lol I guess you don't understand how reflecting sunlight works.. so let's try this, first you need the sun... no sun at night time.... lol

[@Rubashow]

If the sun is up.

[@jurcino7467]

@@probey76227 well guess you don't know that the moon shines.

[@xuldevelopers]

Motorized platform to mount a 10kg pine tree? :-D I hope that the platform serves some more sophisticated purpose than that. Otherwise tip: £75 aluminium step ladder. :-D

[@wolfelkan8183]

It has to mount the target completely autonomously, since it's not safe for humans to be near the focal point, even when it's not focused. It also has to withstand the intense heat without melting.

[@spectrumboy6103]

Are you kidding? It would melt probably!

[@Cautionary_Tale_Harris]

This is an agency of the US government. Why would they use ten feet of steel pipe wrapped in welding cloth when they can simply pay $2 million for a sub-contractor to spend three years making one out of titanium?

[@StoneInMySandal]

It does. The platform can move through almost a 180 arc, allowing the test article to be set at the angle most suitable for the test.

[@Juancholoco710]

You gotta be german lol

[@dantyler6907]

Not sure what value there is to setting fire to a tree with solar reflection... But, I'm sure it ONLY cost a few million $!

[@aidenthehuman5921]

Nuclear bombs produce intense, radiative heat, much like the conditions that this machine creates.

[@mybackhurts7020]

Have you tried ANTs yet?

[@m.asquino7403]

What happens when it's overcast outside?

[@tomt9543]

The pines rest easy!

[@AudiophileTubes]

And THIS is WHY government IS important! Thank you for all you do to advance technology, and ultimately, our safety and security!

[@josephastier7421]

The back of the Christmas tree was protected by the front acting as a heat shield.

[@291xMac]

I wanna work here...

[@pip12111]

Chuck Norris' aroma therapy candle

[@sadekgheidan]

What did that pine tree ever do to you?

[@nelsonwalker7105]

very useful when Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane

[@AP-pb6tc]

The power of the sun, in that palm of my hand

[@wildfire8341]

They could create steam for a turbine

[@peterdavidowicz4374]

Taking that burning Bush thing a bit too literally. Or not literally enough?

[@BeeRich33]

Sacrifice a pine tree...still no rain.

[@GingerMoto]

I can think of a few politician's that we can put up there real quick

[@alexvillarreal3947]

so that is would happen to us if we would be a little more closer to the sun without atmosferes.

[@Zildawolf]

What’s the use of this?

[@aidenthehuman5921]

Testing how materials respond to thermal radiation similar to that produced by nuclear bombs.

[@Galaxius2117]

Makes me wonder what kind of technology the U.S. military might have!

[@426superbee4]

Just think what would happen in sky scrapers with glass windows OUTCH

[@ricksmith7631]

how the government gets rid of its old christmas trees :)

[@brettkuntze9347]

I built a solar heater using about 80 sq ft plate glass mirrors obtained from a local glass shop .. It heats indoors of my 1800 sq ft home to 90 degrees with 40 degree sunny winter days outdoors. I boast the lowest ratepayer for natural gas to PG&E.. I see helicopters hovering around as if out of curiousity...... I mean they are circling my lot............. so no doubt

[@epasko5713]

No narration, come on, just leaves me with 1000 ????'s how many mirrors were redirected, not all, i guess it was only one side but what 2, 4, 8? that railing must get hot, or, is it out of the way of the beam?

[@bblod4896]

Ah, not very portable for a defensive weapon. Perhaps testing how much power is needed to vaporizer an object?

[@theq4602]

It was probably for replicating the thermal conditions of a nuclear weapon's blast at so many meters from ground zero and to see how normal plastics and trees would be affected. Basically to follow up on alot of the data gathered by nuclear tests in the mid 20th century.

[@keltonfoster]

It might be a low orbit satellite that has some sort of mirror tech to do something similar, you know to start fires or vaporize houses jk.

[@JM-st1le]

What if the enemy attacks at night

[@bblod4896]

@@JM-st1le Perhaps "many" really strong LED flashlights? 😂

[@alexvillarreal3947]

what if this is not in earth and is from space on a satellites...@@JM-st1le

[@haewien]

Not the cheapest cigar lighter

[@nigonkouk1770]

It's the 'Ole Magnifying Glass trick' ;|) LoL

[@ThompPL1]

2:00 . . . Anti-Christmas messaging ?? Why not just use a huge Tumbleweed ?! 🤣

[@jamesmaida47]

.... Solar death beam.... gotcha...... You know thinking about it now this would have been a far more effective weapon against the Klandathu Insectoids or "bugs" as they are affectionately known as opposed to dropping the Mobile Infantry.

[@allthingsmotor1073]

Try to lock onto a bird flying by, or a hang glider?

[@Unknown15916]

How about frying a BARBIE DOLL ?

[@effinyu9554]

Plot twist, pine tree has its own mirror.

[@ryanr9792]

I went to school with a pine tree like that, very hot-headed but man was he a savage at come-backs

[@simonbeavan1061]

Prism towers from Red alert 2 anyone?

[@LostAnFound]

2:15: talk about ruining Christmas

[@josephastier7421]

This year we're giving the gift of photons.

[@LostAnFound]

Wasn’t Archimedes doing this for defense like forever ago?

[@aompes]

This would solve the wood shortage in India burials due to covid

[@SoCalFreelance]

A small demonstration of how much energy potential there is from the Sun, which is free! We'll probably look like primitive apes to future generations for not taking full advantage of it for energy production.

[@RealRocdad]

Only $125 million dollars spent to get rid of a Christmas tree...

[@sheldondean7949]

Reminds me of helios 1 in New vegas

[@ruizegot1788]

Surely China will immitate this technology soon. ....

[@nooriekhan4779]

With this method, at present, forests all over the world are being set on fire. Which is said to be a natural phenomenon

[@napalmholocaust9093]

They probably cut down the last pinion pine for 500 miles not half dead with a bad case of beetles. Pretty low.

[@enderman700]

Sun is a deadly laser

[@vzgsxr]

The child in us all really wants to see what it would do to one ant 🐜. 😋

[@joemiller3355]

Poor tree

[@andrewmetz2946]

Looks fun! And they're getting paid!!!

[@jerrymedina3548]

The new death penalty lol

[@bimmjim]

You could start forest fires remotely.. Easily.

[@georgekraus9357]

I guess at lunch time, they put their lunches up there

[@kevinolesik1500]

solar powered ray guns , cool !! use it to shoot down enemy missiles

[@jasonmiddleton5491]

Sandia, I know what gravity is

[@jimbronson687]

I asume the tree was not a tree just looked like one. It was hot and a real tree would not be anything left. Thus defensice trees for sheilding I guess and some sheet that looked like plastic.

[@novicenova]

It's actually a military weather weapon. Anyone can obviously figure that out.

[@philipwebb960]

What do they use when it's cloudy?

[@bradwillis2274]

Not looking good for ants

[@manuelheil3152]

Imagine they put a human up there

[@metube9541]

Ohh, can I suggest one.

[@unsivilized]

Vampire threat deterrent

[@DaChillSpot-MacMechi]

Is this how forest fires start 🤔

[@LostAnFound]

Sandia: Spending your cash on ancient systems.

[@odiarroyo6144]

now. THAT'S!! HOT...

[@426superbee4]

Any 1 needs a sun tanning?

[@木塚淑之]

interesting from Japan

[@hotgervandeyk270]

Und dafür bedarf es soviele Ingenieure? Erstaunlich, ....und traurig.

[@afendiayob5077]

Goodpower

[@johnmitchell2983]

The fuzzy burst booly kneel because yarn acceptably disagree modulo a embarrassed value. wasteful, secret lyre

[@razzdad6787]

Yea, what he said!

[@serdaraydn7282]

Patates kızartması silahı.

[@brucedeleskey8540]

Thay need to get a real job just wasting money 💰

[@brandonbarr2784]

Mith busters did it wrong

[@aaswf001-3d8]

The sun is deadly reflector

[@jamesedmond3351]

The sun is an emitter.