Page "Strategic Defense Initiative" Paragraph 16

The new weapon was the result of a 1977 development by George Chapline, Jr. of Lawrence Livermore's " O-Group ".

Livermore had been working on x-ray lasers for some time, but Chapline found a new solution that used the massive release of x-rays from a nuclear warhead as the source of light for a small baseball-bat sized lasing crystal in the form of a metal rod.

The concept was first tried out in 1978s underground nuclear test " Diabolo Hawk " but had failed.

Peter Hagelstein, new to O Group, set about creating computer simulations of the system in order to understand why.

At first he demonstrated that Chapline's original calculations were simply wrong and the Diabolo Hawk system could not possibly work.

But as he continued his efforts, he found, to his dismay, that using heavier metals appeared to make a machine that would work.

Through 1979 a new test was planned to take advantage of his work.

The follow-up test in November 1980s " Dauphin " appeared to be a success, and plans were made for a major series of experiments in the early 1980s under " Excalibur ".