RE: Honor Harrington Question?

On Friday, July 11, 1997 12:32 AM, Peggy & Jeff Shoffner 
[SMTP:pshoffner@earthlink.net] wrote:
>
> pretty lousy drawing, but I think you get the picture.  Anyway, the
ships
> have two impeller wedges, one pointing forward, the other backward.  I

guess
>
> they operate on the push-me, pull-you method.   Anyway, the open end
on the
>
> bow is larger for some reason; my opinion is that in order to "move" a

ship,
>
> you squeeze the front or back wedge closer to a point.  the smaller
the
> wedge
> tip, the more accel you get, but opposite of what you'd think.  (ie
pinch
> the
> back wedge real tight, and you go forward, not backward....)
>
> Jeff Shoffner

Thanks for the replies

Jeff - I am suprised that you think there are two wedges. Can you tell
me
where this is described. I had always thought there was a single wedge, 
generated from both sets of impellor nodes. In all the encounters they 
'strike the wedge' not 'wedges'.

I'm also confused about which end of the wedge is the more open, The 'up
the 
kilt shot' is up the stern of the ship as it is well described in
several 
battles if you look at a kilt its more flared  towards the bottom (see 
Braveheart) and suggests the wedge is kilt shaped.

				/==\
				|``|
		       _________ ||_________
		      =_______	      ______=
					|______|
			      |      |
			     |	      |
			    |	       |
			    ------------
			      ||    ||
			      ||    ||
			     /_|    |_\  (sorry Rob)

>From the replies so far a lot of people are as confused as I am and
although
Mr Weber writes a mighty fine story his technical descriptions are
vague.

I think we concur on the shape of the ships and I'll look out for the
latest
novel cover picture.

--
Tim Jones