Re: Sensor Range Question [Evasion]

djwj wrote:
> Laserlight wrote:
> >I don't know about you, but I don't call my enemy's ship ahead of
time
> >and say "Look here, old chap, I'm going to be shooting at you right
after
> >my gunners finish tea, frightfully sorry and all that." 
Speed-of-light
> >weapons mean you need to be dodging _before_ you know someone is
shooting.
> 
> Not if your ranges are in Light-Seconds. A beam will be visible coming
if
> you are at more than one lightsecond. Although if the range is great
> enough a ship may have the time to avoid an entire salvo of batteries.

Oh yeah? And how do you detect the beam coming at you? The light from 
the weapon firing will reach you at exactly the same time as the 
laser (or other speed of light weapon) itself. There's nothing 
magical about a range of one light second.

Unless you have some way of detecting a weapon firing that gets the 
data to you at FTL speeds. And I'd bet that weapons designers would 
shield they're weapons to prevent that.

If the weapons are particle beams at just below light speed then 
you'll get some warning, but how fast can a starship take evasive 
action? At ranges of the order of _many_ light seconds you may have a 
chance. 	

	Steve  

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Steve Pugh   <steve@pugh.net>	<http://steve.pugh.net/>