Re: "Realistic" Systems Ideas
From: "Evan Powles" <epowles@p...>
Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 20:06:37 -0500
Subject: Re: "Realistic" Systems Ideas
----------
> From: <Mark Andrew Siefert> <cthulhu@csd.uwm.edu>
<lots of snipping>
> ALBATIVE PARTICLE CASTER:
> These devices are designed for games where screen technology
> is unavailable. The caster launches a clould of chaff, aerosol,
> reflective dust, whatever that defuses and scatters incoming fire from
> directed energy weapons.
As well as stopping beam weapons, this sort of thing can be a useful
defense against very fast projectiles. The British Interplanetary
Society's
Daedelus starprobe concept of the 1970s featured a "screen" which
involved
a
cloud of a few kilograms of smoke flown ahead of the ship. It was
calculated
that this would be able to shred a half-tonne chunk of rock at a
relative
speed of 12% light.
.