Re: Sand

In message <Pine.LNX.3.91.970509000812.17318A-100000@swob.dna.fi> Mikko
Kurki-Suonio writes:
> On Thu, 8 May 1997, Mike Wikan wrote:
> 
> > How about firing 2 Sandcaster clouds at an incoming Sandcaster cloud

> > to kill the velocity of most of the incoming debris? Or 
> [... clipped]
> 
> All good suggestions, but I don't like new weapon systems that don't
have 
> countermeasures in the old tech. That has a nasty habit of making the
old 
> designs obsolete overnight.

The obvious old-tech counter-measure to sand is surely beams
(rather than PT's). I assume the sand-cloud PSB is that the sand 
readily absorbs the beam's energy and vaporises. So you vape your 
way through. Cooperate with the sand, rather than try to beat it.
All the vanilla ships have beams.

I have to say I don't readily buy sand as credible PSB. A cloud of
sand is vast compared to a ship (depending on how you see the
undefined FT ground-scale). If such an incredibly insubstantial 
cloud of sand can absorb so much beam energy... why not just coat 
your hull with the stuff? 

-- 
David Brewer