Re: Space Geography

At 2:49 PM +0100 9/23/11, Tamsin Piper wrote:
>Another consideration to be accounted for is for the detection to be
>communicated by the sensor arrays to sentient recipients, which is
>likely to be at light speed. Unmanned sensor arrays are likely to be
>positioned such that there aren't (m)any blind spots in system, with
>built in redundancy (multiple sensor arrays with overlapping scan
>areas and communication lines to the sentient presence).
>
>Assuming you arrive in-system 6 light hours out from your final
>target, and 1 light hour away from the nearest sensor array with a
>direct "line of sight" communication to the sentient presence at your
>final target, then the sensor array would detect you 1 hour after
>arrival and the sentient presence would become aware of your presence
>at some point from 6 hours after you arrive in system. It is unlikely
>that you will be travelling much faster than 0.2 light speed
>in-system, so it would take you a minimum of 30 hours to reach final
>target, in which time they will have been tracking your movements
>(course, speed, etc) giving them up to 24 hours to prepare their
>defences to meet you.
>
>On arrival you would have a slight edge as you would be aware of
>in-system dispositions at "point x" in time due to light which has
>reached your arrival point. For instance, on arrival your sensors
>reveal that 6 hours ago, your final target was being circulated not
>by the single cruiser squadron you had anticipated and there is in
>fact a full battle group within 1 light hour of the target. You could
>then opt to abort and exit the system immediately before your
>presence has been registered by them (they will of course become
>aware of your arrival, but after you have left).
>
>As others have said, the chances are that you will be detected
>regardless of where you "jump in". The real issue is how quickly the
>detection will occur. Once in system both sides will be limited by
>the speed of light in determining where your/their forces are - as
>you approach your target the information on both sides will get
>closer to "real time location".
>
>For a good idea of what I'm talking about, try Jack Campbell's "Lost
>Fleet" series.
>
>Tamsin

This is also used to good effect in the Daniel Leary series. FTL
transition in way out there and get a look at who's where and what's
what. Then jump in closer and do your worst.

-- 
--
----------------------------------------------------------------
-		  Data Center Operations Group		       -
-		http://web.turner.com/data_center/	       -
----------------------------------------------------------------
- Ryan Montieth Gill		     One CNN Center SE0813 E   -
- Internet Technologies   --	     Data Center Operations    -
- Hours 9:30am - 5:30pm Mon - Fri     (8Sdc, 10Sdc IT@3Ndc)    -
- Cellular: 404-545-6205	   ( Suwanee and Manassas DCs) -
- Office: 404-588-6191		    e-mail: Ryan.Gill@cnn.com  -
----------------------------------------------------------------
-	      Emergency Power-off != Door release!	       -
----------------------------------------------------------------