At 5.8 GHz, microwaves from space fall within the range of FM radio frequencies and conventional television. They are not likely to change the molecular structure of living organisms, unlike ultraviolet rays, X-rays and gamma rays, which can damage the structure of cell DNA. They merely “excite” cell electrons, causing localized heating of tissue. At the center of a “rectenna”, where received energy will be most intense, there will be about 30 megawatts of power per square centimeter, compared with 1,000 MW/cm² measured next to a microwave oven, or 3% of the power emitted in most of our kitchens. Microwave power density will be nearly five times less than that of solar radiation. Thus, there’s every reason to believe that the impact of microwaves on the human environment and global warming will be negligible.

The rays can be expected to lose about 2% of their power as they penetrate the atmosphere, but it has been shown that the dissipated power will have no effect on the troposphere’s ozone layer. At low altitude, bird formations may experience low levels of “caloric stress”. But research has already determined that most species are able to detect and avoid microwave-emitting areas.