The minivan he's slowly touring through the cul-de-sacs of suburban Detroit is painted bright orange and its roof rack bristles with electronics: a global positioning system antenna, a laser measuring system and 14 digital cameras.

FORBES: Magazine Article

By tuning the quantum cascade laser and measuring how much of the infra-red radiation is absorbed on its way to a detector, hazardous gases in between can be identified.

ECONOMIST: Lasers

They have been testing a laser system for measuring lunar dust and soil kicked up by rocket exhausts, and while using precipitation as a substitute to calibrate the laser, they found they could measure the average size of raindrops passing through it.

ENGADGET: NASA accidentally improves weather forecasting with lunar dust-measuring lasers