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From: raiche@dartvax.UUCP (George A. Raiche)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: Hot potatoes not conforming to Star Fleet regulations
Message-ID: <2646@dartvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Dec-84 22:22:00 EST
Article-I.D.: dartvax.2646
Posted: Tue Dec 18 22:22:00 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Dec-84 02:16:34 EST
References: <275@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 98

> >  Once you destroy your ship, you destroy the only thing that keeps your
> >  matter and antimatter apart. PLEASE don't argue that the field bottle
> >  would survive the self-destuct; electromagnetic bottles are difficult
> >  at best to maintain, and are notorious for their power consumption!  And
> >  remember--the field-generating equipment has to be OUTSIDE this force
> >  field, or else!
> 
> True enough, as it goes.  However, it ignores the realities of military
> procurement.
> 
> *No military procurement organization will obtain hardware that requires
>  the continuous application of  power for the continued survival of the
>  occupants*
> 
>  A submarine does not require power to maintain hull integrity.  A B-52,
>  should all eight engines be lost, will glide (not well, but the crew
>  has SOME time to get power back)..
> 
>  If the NIMITZ loses all power with the control rods out, you can bet there
>  will be some manual or pyro device to SAFE THE REACTOR!
>  
>  There is no reason to believe things will change in Star Fleet's equivalent
>  of Systems Command.  The antimatter bottles will be armored; with fail-safe
>  internal backup power supplies.  Can you imagine going into battle when
>  one hit on the nacelles will vaporize the ship?  The bottles will probably 
   consist of a set of batteries (continually charged by the ships main power
>  bus), the field generating equipment, and the bottle itself containing the
>  anitmatter, all enclosed by either armor (like that used by frontier stations
>  "Balance of Terror") or it's own private shields.
>  
> 
>                                            Ron Wanttaja
> 					   (ssc-vax!wanttaja)
> 

		*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR ANTI-MESSAGE ***

Submarines and B-52's don't travel at 512c.  The Nimitz's reactors won't
detonate instantly if the control rods come all the way out.

The concept of extremely-high-speed travel implicitly assumes a dependence
on FLAWLESS technology because there are some ship's systems that must
operate continuously, or else.  Examples:

	Gravity control.  Enterprise doesn't maintain artificial gravity
	just to keep everyone in their seats.  Gravity control is
	necessary to compensate for the extreme effects of accelerating
	the ship (and all the occupants) from zero to warp 8 in, say,
	30 seconds; or to compensate for inertia while performing
	any manuevers at warp speeds.  If the artificial gravity blinks
	off while Enterprise is executing a turn, the entire crew will
	be smeared against the bulkheads.

	Navigational deflectors.  Enterprise MUST have a system for
	clearing meteorites, beer cans, and other cosmic debris from
	its path--an impact with even the smallest piece of dirt,
	at hyperlight speeds, would cause extensive damage. Since
	Enterprise travels so fast (i.e. sweeps out a collision tube
	of large volume) the probability of hitting SOMETHING is good.
	This deflector system must operate continuously whenever the
	ship is at warp speed.  Remember the damage a meteorite
	collision caused aboard Apollo 13? We assume that both collision
	partners were sublight...

Now of course you can have backups for these systems, but in the end the
reliability of any ship system is no greater than that of the main power.
A submarine hull doesn't need applied power to maintain integrity, and a
fission reactor (but not a fusion reactor!) will operate (all too well)
if for some reason you can't supply external power.  But MATTER and 
ANTIMATTER will react VIOLENTLY if they come into even MOMENTARY contact;
so if you're carrying antimatter in your ship, you MUST maintain that
bottle CONTINUOUSLY.   You can shield the bottle all you want but if it
fails anyway, you turn into a glowing cloud.  The bottle must operate
continually, so must have continuous power, regardless of Pentagon
policy.

Another thing about the self-destruct: power and drive systems are among
the most sensitive areas of any warship.  A submarine propulsion officer
won't even admit that a sub has an engine room unless you have proper
security clearance.  Antimatter and warp drive technology is critical
to the Earthmen and Klingons and you can be sure that a self-destruct
order won't leave pieces big enough so that the Klingons can figure
out, say, how Enterprise kept its matter-antimatter reactor stable
during an intense battle... Surely the bottle technology is top-
secret too.

And I'd hate to see what would happen to the Space Shuttle if the
engines failed three seconds after ignition.

				George Raiche
				Dept. of Chemistry
				Dartmouth

				"If I jumped every time a light started
				blinking around here, I'd end up
				talkin' to myself."