NASA: Technology associated with cavity ringdown laser absorption spectroscopy is reviewed. The technique is used to study general trace analysis, free radicals in flames and chemical reactors, molecular ions in electrical discharges, biological molecules and water clusters in supersonic jets, and vibrational overtones of stable molecules. Its specific enough to detect about 1-ppm fractional absorption by a gaseous sample in about 10 microseconds. The use of mirrors in ringdown sepctroscopy is explained. Other topics include the generation of pulsed infrared rays and the adaptation of ringdown spectroscopy for use with narrow-bandwidth continuous-wave lasers.