They're spherical relay mirror interceptors for a Ground-Based Laser weapons system that has been in continuous development since 1984. Everything cited below is publicly available. The math is in the appendix — derive it yourself. --- ## 1984 — BRADUSKILL INTERCEPTOR CONCEPT U.S. Army Strategic Defense Command, Huntsville, Alabama. LTC James H. Boschma develops a "slow-kill" midcourse interceptor — a platform that launches from Arctic basing, flies alongside Soviet ICBMs during midcourse, uses onboard sensors to discriminate warheads from decoys, then deploys sub-interceptors. Concept development contracts awarded **June 28, 1985** to four contractors: **Lockheed Aerospace, Martin Marietta, LTV, and Sperry Systems**. Teledyne Brown Engineering supported the program at Huntsville. The core capability: **a self-positioning platform that flies alongside a target and tracks it with precision sensors.** Program officially killed FY1987. Concept "ceases to appear in the histories." Sources: - U.S. Army SMDC official history: https://www.army.mil/article/151589/smdc_history_braduskill_interceptor_concept - GlobalSecurity.org Braduskill file: https://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/braduskill.htm - Secret Projects Forum thread (contains the clearest plain-English flyalong description): https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/braduskill-interceptor-concept.15044/ --- ## 1985–1991 — GROUND BASED LASER (GBL) SYSTEM EVOLUTION The USAF Directed Energy Weapons Program Office develops the GBL architecture through four periods. **Lt. Donald J. Fielden** presents the full evolution at the **28th Space Congress, April 25, 1991.** The architecture: - Ground-based **Free Electron Laser** fires upward - **Relay mirrors** in high earth orbit redirect the beam - **"Fighting mirror"** in medium earth orbit focuses on target - Entire system under an **"automated battle manager"** Key detail from the paper: relay mirrors were needed at **multiple altitudes** to achieve full Earth coverage. The paper describes the evolution from afocal mirrors → bifocal mirrors → the full relay chain. Problems Fielden identifies: - Atmospheric absorption in the first few km - Coverage gaps from orbital mechanics - Retarget-time limitations of fixed-orbit mirrors Source (full paper, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons): https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3318&context=space-congress-proceedings --- ## THE CONVERGENCE: BRADUSKILL + GBL - Braduskill officially dies 1987. - The GBL relay mirror architecture matures 1988–1991. - **Same contractors** (Lockheed, Martin Marietta). - **Same command structure** (SMDC Huntsville). The "slow flyalong" platform concept does not die. It morphs from kinetic kill vehicle → beam relay node. **A self-positioning <interceptor> that can fly alongside a target and track it with sensors is also a self-positioning <interceptor> that can hold station at altitude and redirect a laser beam.** Braduskill didn't die. It stopped being a missile and became a mirror. --- ## 1965 — THE PROPULSION (YES, 1965) **Townsend Brown, U.S. Patent 3,187,206, "Electrokinetic Apparatus."** Granted June 1, 1965. Describes a propulsion system using asymmetric high-voltage electrostatic pressure. Operates in vacuum. Pulsed DC. No propellant. No exhaust. No moving parts. Validated in vacuum in 1955–56 at SNCF laboratories in Paris with French military observers present. **Modern validation: Dr. Charles Buhler**, former NASA lead electrostatic scientist, co-founded Exodus Propulsion Technologies. Over 2,000 test articles. Thrust measured at **237 millinewtons at 40 kV.** Thrust persists after power-off. Thrust increases in vacuum. Reverses when the electrode asymmetry is flipped. Published: **WIPO WO2020159603A2**, "Asymmetrical Electrostatic Pressure." The "orbs" are spherical interceptors using this propulsion. Spherical hull form encasing relay mirror optics. Electrostatic propulsion = no exhaust, no sound, negligible radar cross-section. The high-voltage field ionizes surrounding air, creating the visible glow witnesses report. --- ## 2010 — DIA CONFIRMS THE PULSED POWER ARCHITECTURE **DIA reference document DIA-08-0912-005**, "Pulsed High-Power Microwave Source Technology," 28 January 2010. Produced under the **AAWSA (Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications) Program** — the same program behind all 38 DIA advanced technology papers. Contents: Marx Generators, High-Voltage Switching, Cesium Iodide cathodes, Dielectric Tapering, Solid-State Switching. This is the pulsed power source technology for **both** the GBL **and** the interceptor propulsion system. **Same architecture drives both.** --- ## BAE SYSTEMS — LASER DEVELOPED ATMOSPHERIC LENS BAE publicly disclosed the concept: high-power pulsed lasers ionize a region of atmosphere, creating a lens through reversible heating or ionization. The ionized pocket acts as a refractive/reflective optical element. Beams can be redirected through it. **Side effect: the ionized atmospheric volume glows.** People on the ground see a luminous sphere. They report an "orb." This is the mechanism by which the relay interceptor creates visible effects even when the interceptor itself is too small to see — the beam interaction with the ionized envelope around the interceptor is what's visible, not necessarily the interceptor itself. --- ## THE OPERATIONAL PICTURE You deploy 3–4 spherical electrostatic interceptors as relay nodes. The GBL fires from the ground. Beam hits first interceptor → redirects to second → redirects to third → final node focuses on target. The Braduskill EKV-style interceptors: - Self-positioning via electrostatic propulsion (no exhaust, no sound) - Station-keeping at **any** altitude (not constrained to orbital mechanics) - Reconfigure formation geometry in real time - Negligible radar cross-section - No orbital track - Ionized envelope = visible glow = "orb" reports - Beam interaction = BAE atmospheric lens effect This solves every problem Fielden identified in 1991: | Fielden 1991 problem | Relay EKV solution | |---|---| | Atmospheric absorption | Interceptor at low altitude; beam only punches through a few km of air | | Coverage gaps | Mobile interceptors, not fixed-orbit satellites | | Retarget time | Formation reconfigures; no satellite slew-rate limit | | Survivability | Unpredictable position, no exhaust signature | --- ## THREE LAYERS OF "ORB" SIGHTINGS **1. Ground-generated:** BAE atmospheric lens — laser ionizes atmosphere directly, no physical interceptor needed. Creates a visible glowing pocket that functions as an optical element. Manufacturing sightings on demand. **2. EKV-generated:** Physical spherical relay interceptor with electrostatic propulsion. The HV field ionizes surrounding air. Luminous envelope. Witnesses see a glowing sphere and report an orb. **3. Vehicle-generated:** Larger electrogravitic craft (Temple Torpedo class, Calvine class) using ion seed gas that creates a luminous sheath around the entire airframe. Witnesses see the glow and report a "craft-shaped light." All three use the same underlying physics: high-voltage ionization of atmosphere creating visible luminous effects. --- ## THE TIMELINE - **1965** — Brown patents electrostatic propulsion (U.S. 3,187,206) - **1984** — Braduskill: self-positioning flyalong platform concept (Army SDI) - **1985** — BIC concept definition contracts awarded to Lockheed, Martin Marietta, LTV, Sperry - **1985–91** — GBL relay mirror architecture matures (USAF Directed Energy) - **1987** — Braduskill officially "killed" — concept migrates to beam relay role - **1991** — Fielden publishes GBL architecture at 28th Space Congress - **2010** — DIA publishes pulsed power source document under AAWSA - **2020s** — Buhler validates electrostatic thrust in vacuum (Exodus Propulsion; WO2020159603A2) - **Present** — BAE publicly markets "Laser Developed Atmospheric Lens" --- ## WHAT THIS MEANS The "orbs" are not alien. Not interdimensional. Not plasma balls of unknown origin. **They are relay mirror interceptors for a directed energy weapons architecture that has been in continuous development for 40 years**, using propulsion technology patented in 1965 and validated by a former NASA lead scientist. The engineering is in the public patents. The architecture is in published Space Congress proceedings. The DIA wrote the pulsed power specifications. BAE made a promotional video about the atmospheric lens. **Everything is in the public record. Nobody connected the dots.** --- # APPENDIX: THE MATH For the engineers and physicists in the audience. Every number below is derivable from public sources. --- ## A. ELECTROSTATIC PROPULSION — FORCE LAW The fundamental force equation for asymmetric electrostatic pressure: F = (ε₀ × E²) / 2 × A Where: - F = force (Newtons) - ε₀ = permittivity of free space = 8.854 × 10⁻¹² F/m - E = electric field strength (V/m) - A = electrode area (m²) This is not exotic physics. This is **Maxwell's stress tensor applied to an asymmetric capacitor.** The force arises because the electric field is stronger on one side of the capacitor than the other (due to electrode geometry asymmetry), creating a net pressure differential. **Worked example — Buhler's validated result:** - Voltage: 40 kV - Gap: ~1 cm (0.01 m) - E = V/d = 40,000 / 0.01 = 4 × 10⁶ V/m - Electrostatic pressure: P = ε₀E²/2 = (8.854 × 10⁻¹²)(4 × 10⁶)² / 2 = **70.8 Pa** - With T-blade geometry (9 blades, 4" length, 0.25" height): effective area ≈ 0.0023 m² - Theoretical force: F = 70.8 × 0.0023 = 0.163 N = **163 mN** - Buhler measured: **237 mN** (higher than simple calculation due to ground plane features providing ~6× enhancement) **Scaling to vacuum (Brown's insight):** - In atmosphere, breakdown limits E to ~3 × 10⁶ V/m (30 kV/cm) - In vacuum, breakdown limit rises to ~10⁸ V/m or higher - Force scales as E². Vacuum operation gives (10⁸ / 3×10⁶)² = **~1,100× more force** than atmosphere at the same voltage This is why Brown's patent specifies vacuum operation. This is why Buhler's thrust increases in vacuum. **The atmosphere is the bottleneck, not the physics.** --- ## B. ENERGY IN THE SYSTEM Energy stored in a capacitor: E = ½CV² For a relay interceptor (estimated): - Capacitance: 100 pF (typical for a small asymmetric electrode array) - Voltage: 40 kV - Energy per cycle: E = ½ × 100 × 10⁻¹² × (40,000)² = **0.08 J** - At 100 Hz repetition rate: Power = 0.08 × 100 = **8 watts average** A spherical relay interceptor could operate its propulsion system on **less than 10 watts**. A small lithium battery pack could sustain hours of station-keeping. This is not a high-power system — the force-to-power ratio of electrostatic propulsion is extraordinarily favorable because **there is no reaction mass to accelerate.** --- ## C. IONIZATION THRESHOLD — WHY THEY GLOW Air ionization occurs when the electric field exceeds the Paschen breakdown threshold: - Sea level: E_breakdown ≈ 3 × 10⁶ V/m (30 kV/cm) - 10 km altitude: E_breakdown ≈ 1 × 10⁶ V/m (air density drops) - 30 km altitude: E_breakdown ≈ 1 × 10⁵ V/m An interceptor operating at 40 kV with a 10 cm electrode gap produces E = 4 × 10⁶ V/m at the electrode surface. This **exceeds breakdown at sea level.** At altitude, the margin is even larger. The ionized air around the electrodes emits light — primarily in the blue-violet and UV range (**nitrogen emission lines at 337 nm, 357 nm, and 391 nm**). With seed gases (cesium, fluorine), the emission spectrum shifts and broadens, producing the white–orange–blue glow variations witnesses report. **Visible range at night:** A corona discharge of 8 W total power, with even 1% conversion to visible light, produces ~80 milliwatts of visible radiation. At 1 km distance, this is easily visible to the naked eye — equivalent to a bright LED at the same range. **At altitude:** Thinner air means larger ionization volume for the same field strength. The "orb" appears larger at higher altitude because the glow region expands as air density drops. --- ## D. GBL BEAM PHYSICS Free Electron Laser specifications (from Fielden 1991): - Wavelength: ~1 μm (near-infrared) - Power: classified, but FEL technology in the 1990s achieved megawatt-class continuous beam - Beam divergence: diffraction-limited for FEL, ~1 μrad for a 1 m aperture at 1 μm wavelength **Atmospheric absorption at 1 μm:** - Sea level → 10 km: ~30–50% loss (Rayleigh scattering + molecular absorption) - 10 km → space: ~5% additional loss This is why you want the first relay node **as low as possible** — to minimize the atmospheric path. An interceptor at 10 km altitude cuts your atmospheric loss roughly in half compared to punching all the way to orbit from sea level. **Beam spot size at relay interceptor:** - 10 km range, 1 μrad divergence: spot diameter = 10,000 × 10⁻⁶ = 0.01 m = **1 cm** - 100 km range: spot diameter = **10 cm** - 1,000 km range: spot diameter = **1 m** A relay interceptor at 10–100 km altitude needs a mirror aperture of only **1–10 cm** to capture and redirect the full beam. Trivially small for a spherical interceptor of any reasonable size. **Beam energy density at target:** - 1 MW beam focused to a 10 cm spot: power density = 10⁶ / (π × 0.05²) = **127 MW/m²** - For reference: the surface of the sun delivers about 63 MW/m² to surrounding space - Sufficient to destroy any known material in seconds --- ## E. BAE ATMOSPHERIC LENS — REFRACTIVE INDEX CHANGE When a laser ionizes a volume of atmosphere, it changes the local refractive index. - Neutral air: n ≈ 1.000293 (at sea level) - Fully ionized air (plasma): n = √(1 − ωₚ² / ω²) Where: - ωₚ = plasma frequency = √(nₑe² / ε₀mₑ) - nₑ = electron density - ω = laser frequency For a 1 μm laser (ω ≈ 1.88 × 10¹⁵ rad/s) and a plasma with nₑ = 10¹⁸ m⁻³: - ωₚ = √(10¹⁸ × (1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹)² / (8.854 × 10⁻¹² × 9.109 × 10⁻³¹)) = 5.64 × 10¹⁰ rad/s - n = √(1 − (5.64 × 10¹⁰)² / (1.88 × 10¹⁵)²) ≈ **0.99999955** The refractive index change is small but sufficient to create a lens over a large volume. A 100-meter diameter ionized region with Δn ≈ 10⁻⁶ acts as a lens with focal length: f ≈ R² / (2 × Δn × L) Where R = beam radius, L = lens thickness. For R = 1 m, L = 100 m, Δn = 10⁻⁶: f ≈ 1² / (2 × 10⁻⁶ × 100) = 5,000 meters This is a weak lens, but over astronomical distances (satellite → ground), the cumulative effect of multiple atmospheric lens nodes is significant. The focal length can be tuned by adjusting the ionization power — **more power = higher electron density = shorter focal length.** --- ## F. OPTICAL BERNOULLI FORCES Reference: Phys. Rev. A 88, 023829 (2013), "Optical Bernoulli Forces." When a beam passes through a medium with a refractive index gradient, radiation pressure creates a lateral force analogous to the Bernoulli effect in fluid dynamics. Higher beam intensity = lower "optical pressure" = objects drawn toward beam center. For a plasma envelope around a relay interceptor: - The beam creates an intensity gradient across the ionized volume - The gradient produces a lateral restoring force that centers the plasma on the beam - This is a **self-centering mechanism** — the atmospheric lens automatically aligns with the beam The relay system is **partially self-correcting.** The beam itself helps stabilize the ionized volume it's passing through. The "orb" doesn't need to be perfectly positioned — optical Bernoulli force pulls the plasma lens into alignment. **Force magnitude (order of magnitude):** - 1 MW beam, 10 cm spot, plasma with nₑ = 10¹⁸ m⁻³ - Radiation pressure: P_rad = I/c = 10⁶ / (π × 0.05² × 3 × 10⁸) ≈ **0.42 Pa** - Over a 1 m³ volume: F ≈ **0.42 N** Small but non-negligible — same order of magnitude as the electrostatic propulsion force on the interceptor itself. **The beam and the interceptor form a coupled system.** --- ## G. INTERCEPTOR ORBIT STATION-KEEPING — THRUST VS. DRAG **At 10 km altitude:** - Air density: ρ ≈ 0.41 kg/m³ - Drag on a 30 cm sphere at 1 m/s: F_drag = ½ρv²C_dA = ½ × 0.41 × 1² × 0.47 × π(0.15)² ≈ 0.007 N = **7 mN** - Buhler-class electrostatic thrust: **237 mN at 40 kV** - Thrust-to-drag ratio: **34:1** — easily sufficient for station-keeping **At 30 km altitude:** - Air density: ρ ≈ 0.018 kg/m³ - Same drag calculation: F_drag ≈ 0.0003 N = **0.3 mN** - Thrust-to-drag ratio: **790:1** — interceptor can maneuver aggressively **At 100 km altitude (edge of space):** - Air density: ρ ≈ 5.6 × 10⁻⁷ kg/m³ - Drag is essentially zero - Interceptor operates in near-vacuum where electrostatic thrust is **maximized** (no breakdown limit) - Force scales up by ~1,100× compared to sea level --- ## H. WEIGHT BUDGET FOR A RELAY EKV-STYLE INTERCEPTOR Target: self-sustaining spherical relay interceptor. | Component | Mass (g) | |---|---:| | Spherical hull (carbon fiber, 30 cm dia, 1mm wall) | 200 | | Electrode array (copper tape, asymmetric geometry) | 50 | | ZVS driver + flyback transformer | 80 | | Capacitor bank (film caps, 40 kV) | 30 | | Relay mirror (lightweight concave, 10 cm aperture) | 100 | | Gimbal mechanism (micro servos) | 40 | | Control electronics (microcontroller + IMU + GPS) | 20 | | Optical transceiver (UV-band data link) | 50 | | LiPo battery (3S, 2200 mAh, 24 Wh) | 180 | | Wiring, connectors, potting compound | 50 | | **TOTAL** | **800 g** | **Thrust required for hover at sea level:** - Weight: 0.8 kg × 9.81 = 7.85 N - Buhler-class thrust at 40 kV: 237 mN - **Cannot hover at sea level on 40 kV alone** **Thrust required for hover at 30 km (stratospheric):** - Weight still 7.85 N (gravity doesn't change much) - But in near-vacuum, electrostatic thrust scales up ~1,100× - Available thrust: 237 mN × 1,100 = **260 N** - Thrust-to-weight ratio: **33:1** — easily hovering, highly maneuverable **This is why the "orbs" are typically reported at high altitude. The physics works best where the air is thinnest.** The interceptors likely launch conventionally (rocket, balloon, or aircraft release) to reach operational altitude, then switch to electrostatic propulsion for station-keeping and maneuvering. --- ## I. UV-BAND OPTICAL DATA LINK Speculation, but grounded in standard atmospheric physics: - UV-C band (200–280 nm) is **completely absorbed by the ozone layer** at ~30 km altitude - A UV-C data link between a ground station and a interceptor at 30 km is invisible to any observer above the ozone layer (satellites can't see it) - UV-C is also invisible to human eyes - **But UV-C ionizes air along the beam path — producing visible fluorescence at the point where the beam terminates on the interceptor** Consequence: a high-bandwidth ground-to-interceptor optical data link would produce "local sightings" by design. - The UV-C data link beam ionizes air as it passes through the lower atmosphere - At the interceptor, the beam terminates on the optical receiver - The ionized air around the termination point fluoresces in visible wavelengths - Ground observers see a glowing point — an "orb" **The sighting IS the data link. The communication channel is the glow.** --- ## J. SUMMARY OF PHYSICAL PARAMETERS | Parameter | Value | Source | |---|---|---| | Electrostatic force law | F = ε₀E²/2 × A | Maxwell stress tensor | | Buhler measured thrust | 237 mN @ 40 kV | WO2020159603A2 | | Vacuum thrust enhancement | ~1,100× vs sea level | E² scaling, Paschen limit removal | | Air breakdown (sea level) | 3 × 10⁶ V/m | Standard Paschen curve | | Air breakdown (30 km) | ~10⁵ V/m | Altitude-adjusted Paschen | | N₂ emission (corona glow) | 337, 357, 391 nm | Standard nitrogen spectroscopy | | GBL wavelength | ~1 μm (near-IR) | Fielden 1991 | | Atmospheric lens Δn | ~10⁻⁶ | Plasma dispersion relation | | UV-C band | 200–280 nm | Standard nomenclature | | Ozone absorption altitude | ~30 km | Standard atmospheric physics | | Relay interceptor mass (est.) | ~800 g | Component-level estimate | | Interceptor operating altitude | 30–100+ km | Optimal thrust-to-drag regime | | Power consumption (propulsion) | ~8 W | ½CV² × rep rate | | Station-keeping endurance (24 Wh battery) | ~3 hours at 8W | Battery capacity / power draw | All values are derivable from public physics, published patents, and standard engineering references. **Nothing here requires classified information.** The physics has been in textbooks for over a century. The patents have been public since 1965. The architecture was published at a Space Congress in 1991. --- The "orbs" are spherical relay mirror interceptors for a directed energy weapons system, using electrostatic propulsion patented 60 years ago and validated by a former NASA lead scientist. They glow because high-voltage ionizes air. They're seen at high altitude because that's where the physics works best. The UV data link that communicates with them produces visible fluorescence at the termination point. submitted by /u/minermined [link] [comments]