Q: Lasers are being used against pilots again. Isn’t there a window film or type of glass that can deflect, refract or reflect the laser?
—Michael Mauk, Lawrenceville
A: Companies are developing products to block certain kinds of light, such as that produced by lasers.
Lamda Guard, a Canadian company, produces a thin film that can be applied to surfaces to “block hazardous laser light aimed at pilots, law enforcement and military personnel,” it states on its website (metamaterial.com).
The film can be applied to “virtually any glass or clear plastic surface,” including cockpit glass and protective eye wear like visors and goggles.
Lamda Guard and aircraft manufacturer Airbus agreed last year to test the product.
There were 3,894 reported laser strikes against aircraft in the United States in 2014, the FBI and Federal Aviation Administration reported, down from 3,960 in 2013.
Q: Was Abraham Lincoln married more than once? Did one of his wives have a mental problem?
—Eddie Webster, Douglasville
A: Mary Todd Lincoln was Lincoln's only wife.
They were married from 1842 until Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865.
Her possible mental issues and illnesses have been debated for years, but Robert Lincoln, the couple’s oldest son, had his mother committed to an asylum called Bellevue Place in 1875.
By that point, she had buried three of her four sons and witnessed her husband’s assassination.
Mary Todd Lincoln spent only four months there, and she died in 1882.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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