Product Code: ILSC2007_908

Laser Hazard Space on the Earth's Spheroid
Authors:
Anthony Terrameo, Naval Air Warefare Center Weapons Division; Point Mugu Nawc CA USA
Presented at ILSC 2007

A Method has been developed to determine the laser surface danger zone on the earth's spheroid. This method determines where the laser beam cone, defined by the angle , which is half the beam divergence plus the buffer angle, intersects a geometric figure represented by a spheroid that is a good approximation to the shape of the earth. This method is useful to determine the laser surface danger zone on a sea-test range: at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) Point Mugu, California. In addition, this method can be applied to determine three-dimension hazard patterns: to compute air and space hazard zones. First, the laser surface danger zone defined in the Laser Safety on Ranges and in Other Outdoor Area MIL-HDBK-828A and Range Commanders Council (RCC) Laser Range Safety Document 316-98 is reviewed. Second, two-dimension laser surface danger zones determined by the methodology of a cone intersecting a plane is presented. Third, and finally, the methodology to compute a three-dimension laser surface danger zone and laser hazard space, determined by a cone intersecting a spheroid representing the shape of the earth, is presented.