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[Levi]

Cover your missiles with mirrors.   

[GiglameshDespair]

Clearly you have to shoot their lasers with your lasers, and by the law of bad science fiction they'll cancel out.

[Sheb]

Yeah, or use cutting edge "fog" technology to make their weapon useless.

[i2amroy]

I actually have a snazzy book that covers things like this (got it signed by the author too!). I'm working from memory here, but IIRC the basic outline for a "shield" like the kind you see on spaceships in science fiction would be a combination of a few different things, notably a sphere-esque shape of carbon nanotubes to deflect solid objects combined with a fast-transition lens type of thing that would nigh-instantly opaque on contact with a focused light beam (i.e. laser weapon).

[MDFification]

I actually have a snazzy book that covers things like this (got it signed by the author too!). I'm working from memory here, but IIRC the basic outline for a "shield" like the kind you see on spaceships in science fiction would be a combination of a few different things, notably a sphere-esque shape of carbon nanotubes to deflect solid objects combined with a fast-transition lens type of thing that would nigh-instantly opaque on contact with a focused light beam (i.e. laser weapon).

Yay, physics of the impossible!

[Cryxis, Prince of Doom]

Clearly you have to shoot their lasers with your lasers, and by the law of bad science fiction they'll cancel out.

Oh no they crossed the beams! 

[origamiscienceguy]

I actually have a snazzy book that covers things like this (got it signed by the author too!). I'm working from memory here, but IIRC the basic outline for a "shield" like the kind you see on spaceships in science fiction would be a combination of a few different things, notably a sphere-esque shape of carbon nanotubes to deflect solid objects combined with a fast-transition lens type of thing that would nigh-instantly opaque on contact with a focused light beam (i.e. laser weapon).

But if it does that, wouldn't all of the laser's heat go to that lens?

[flame99]

I actually have a snazzy book that covers things like this (got it signed by the author too!). I'm working from memory here, but IIRC the basic outline for a "shield" like the kind you see on spaceships in science fiction would be a combination of a few different things, notably a sphere-esque shape of carbon nanotubes to deflect solid objects combined with a fast-transition lens type of thing that would nigh-instantly opaque on contact with a focused light beam (i.e. laser weapon).

Is...Is that a TARDIS on the cover?

[10ebbor10]

Clearly you have to shoot their lasers with your lasers, and by the law of bad science fiction they'll cancel out.

Oh no they crossed the beams! 

This works by laws of actual science as well. It's no more and no less than applying interference.

[i2amroy]

Is...Is that a TARDIS on the cover?

Maybe...

But if it does that, wouldn't all of the laser's heat go to that lens?

Yeah, but it could work the same as armor does for bullets. If we know what is gonna take the hit then we could hypothetically engineer that particular material to be highly resistant to that kind of hit (having good thermal resistance and fast diffusion rates, for example). It's not the best, but it's about the best you can get in reality. (Checking the book now it also suggests a plasma window on top of the other two layers to keep oxygen/vacuum from passing through the force field. (It even suggests using argon gas so that you get the same blue-colored glow as they do in Star Trek. )

[alway]

Elon Musk posted some photos of the falcon first stage impacting the landing craft:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7c7SPiCYAAmPZo.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7c73oaCQAA7V-j.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7c9o7CCMAA7vyP.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7c-iRaCYAAPxQ9.jpg

[sneakey pete]

Things seem to have got a bit explode-y at the end :|

[Arx]

It was, after all, a failed landing.

[alway]

Ah, and SpaceX posted the video too. https://vine.co/v/OjqeYWWpVWK

[MonkeyHead]

Oh, the failed Beagle 2 lander was found intact on the surface of Mars, too. Kinda unexpected - it was assumed to have impacted rather than landed.