Re: [FT] Railgun Goals

>Quick comment:
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Sean Bayan Schoonmaker [SMTP:schoon@aimnet.com]
>Sent:	Wednesday, November 25, 1998 8:18 AM
>To:	gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
>Subject:	[FT] Railgun Goals
>
>Perhaps before we get too far along any one trail for our K'V weapons
>discussion, we should establish some general goals. These are the one
that
>I think are important:
>
>1) The "To-Hit" mechanic should reflect a projectile flavor. In my
eyes,
>that means performance should be relatively constant out to a given
range
>and then drop off quickly.
>
>Not necessarily so, projectiles drop off due to Gravity and other
effects, not 
>present in space.  Range should only be limited by fire control.

[raises hand from somewhere in the back of the room]

Question: how is gravity going to affect high-speed projectiles, in the
time/distance scales we are discussing? If you are near (near!!!) a
high-
gravity mass (Jupiter and larger), your onboard combat computers ought
to
be able to easily compensate for *that*, at least. I see range drop-off
accuracy as the inability to accurately predict where your opponent will
be when you fire at their ship(s).

Indy
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---
If the conquest of a great peak brings moments of exultation and bliss,
which in the monotonous, materialistic existence of modern times nothing
else can approach, it also presents great dangers.  It is not the goal
of
*grand alpinisme* to face peril, but it is one of the tests one must 
undergo to deserve the joy of rising for an instant above the state of 
crawling grubs.
				       -Lionel Terray, 1965