Ogden Johnson III wrote:
Hmm. 12"/15,000 = 0.0008"? That's an awfully tight beam from a
laser pointer. Wonder if/how much a laser pointer diffuses going
up to flight altitudes? [I know, I know, coherent beams, but I'm
old enough to have been so canalized by Boy Scout flashlights
that by the time lasers rolled around ...]

I bet the 15,000 figure is in terms of relative area, not diameter.
Figuring that, I get about .1" diameter for the laser pointer, which
makes more sense.

I'm sure somebody's already made the first Dr. Evil joke on this one,
what's next, sharks with laser beams?

In all seriousness, the plan has some merit.