Re: coupla Full Thrust questions inspire some tactics

Adam Delafield writes,

> But if you are using Radar, you are lit up like a Christmas tree for
all
>  around to see. I'd say passive sensors are more likely as you
wouldn't
>  have to give away your own position. Think of it like Subs. Contrary
to
>  Hollywood, they don't go about 'pinging' all the time. They run
silent,
>  using passive listening devices. I would imagine our ships would do
the
>  same.
>  
>  I once read a book, can't remember which one, but one of those
'Aliens
>  have visited Earth. Honest Guv.' ones that discussed the possibility
of
>  spotting an incoming alien vessel. Independance Day got it right. We
>  wouldn't be able to spot even a Gargantuan vessel until it was inside
>  the moons orbit. The chances of any Astronomer looking at the right
spot
>  in space are just too small, even with Radio Telescopes et al. Over
the
>  ranges depicted in Full Thrust, our much smaller ships would be much
harder
>  to spot, hence the lack of accurate positional data.

But whatever PSB you use for spaceship propulsion is likely to be a good
deal
"noisier" than a submarine propellor, right? A ship using nuclear pulse
propulsion or fusion ramjets or whatever would also be lit up anytime it
uses
thrust. Even when it wasn't actively using thrust, as long as the
engines are
"warm" they would probably still send out quite a signature. (Unless
your
ships use solar sails or something.) I always figured that was primarily
how
spaceships detected one another, not visually but by detecting drive
emissions and other "energy signatures."

Scott Field

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