Shown here left-to-right are experimenters Dennis Paisley (P-24), Aaron Koskelo (C-ADI), and Scott Greenfield (C-ADI). They use the TRIDENT laser to accelerate centimeter-diameter, several hundred micron thick metal plates to velocities in excess of one kilometer per second -- roughly 2200 miles/hour. These plates impact and generate shock waves in material samples. Our observations of the material's response to these shock waves provides valuable insight into how they behave under pressure, their strength, and how they can be damaged.