thumb|[[Lightcraft concept design from 1989]]

thumb|Lightcraft operational illustration

thumb|Lightcraft tests at White Sands Missile Range

thumb|Lightcraft being propelled by laser

Leik N. Myrabo is an American aerospace engineer known for research on beamed-energy propulsion and for proposing and developing the lightcraft, a laser-propelled flight vehicle concept. He was an associate professor of aerospace, mechanical, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he and collaborators conducted experimental lightcraft launches at the White Sands Missile Range High Energy Laser System Test Facility (HELSTF). He collaborated on hypersonic aerodynamics research with the Brazilian Air Force and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, and promoted space-based solar power and power-beaming concepts for space launch and high-speed travel.

Academic career

Myrabo attended Iowa State University, where he studied aerospace engineering. Myrabo's original definition of lightcraft treats it as any flight platform, airborne vehicle, or spacecraft propelled by a beam of light, including microwave or laser.

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  • The Space Show - Dr. Leik Myrabo