Designed to make the most comprehensive maps of winds across the Earth, the mission missed deadline after deadline as engineers struggled to get its key technology - an ultraviolet laser system - working for long enough to make the venture worth flying. But now, 16 years on, the Aeolus satellite is finished and ready to ship to the launch pad.
It is worth recalling some of the past frustrations. The first problem was in finding diodes to generate laser light with a long enough lifetime. When those were identified, the mission looked in great shape until engineers discovered their design wouldn't actually operate in a vacuum - a significant barrier for a space mission.
Tests revealed that in the absence of air, the laser was degrading its own optics; as the high-energy light hit the lenses and mirrors, it would blacken them. Companies across Europe were pushed to develop new coatings for the various elements. The key breakthrough, however, was to introduce a small amount of oxygen to the instrument to prevent surfaces carbonising. It's a tiny puff of gas - 40 pascals' worth; the same pressure [why are we being given a unit of pressure - is that what this depends on more than the mass of oxygen molecules and if so why ?] you might expect to develop from the presence of a photosynthesising plant. But it is sufficient to oxidise contaminants and remove them.
Now, can this be adapted to provide a defence against laser-armed space battleships ? Asking for a friend.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44415752
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