Awesome: Shot Down in a Blaze of Glory!

This just made my entire day. I might be a history nerd and teacher, but at heart, I'm a technophiliac who loves it when things go BOOM. Blurb:

WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - A U.S. high-powered airborne laser weapon shot down a ballistic missile in the first successful test of a futuristic directed energy weapon, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said on Friday.

Dude, read that again. A laser mounted on a special military 747 jumbo jet shot down a ballistic missile while both were in mid-flight. The missile was flying at a speed of about 4000 miles an hour. It happened off the coast of California.

Awesome!