Fun fact: the average laser’s collimation expands to the size of a football field by time it reaches the altitude of the ISS. The moon is 1,000x further. Despite the higher refinement of the laser used to bounce light off the retro reflector, it still takes an incredibly strong sensor to detect the bounce back. It’s not how The Big Bang Theory portrays it.

Now that this party is pooped, the sun is still stronger than anything we can beam. It might trickle charge. The rays that decrease exponentially with distance, coming from. 93 million miles away, still roasts us. Solar power is insane.

Edit: astronomers did actually beam a laser and get seen by the ISS. They used a very powerful, focused blue laser and tracking software to aim it on a powered mount. The tracking was necessary because they had to shine it when it was not illuminated. When we see the ISS lit in the night sky, they’re in full sun. The astronaut, Don Pettit who has an extensive photo portfolio, reported seeing a dim, flickering blue light coming from the ground and got a picture. He also saw the spotlights flashing. https://www.universetoday.com/93987/amateur-astronomers-flash-the-space-station/