Re: [FT] The Sa'Vasku

Brian spake thusly upon matters weighty: 

Is this possible? I'm not sure it would work. I think that falls into 
a popular fallacy about space: That space is cold (ducks and prepares 
for salvo fire from the physics guys out there). 

I was under the impression space was not cold, rather it had a lack 
of temperature - because as I understood it temperature is a property 
of matter relating to how excited or how expanded the particles were 
and what phase they were in or some such. As a result, space being 
largely empty, doesn't really have much of a temperature. 

And you can't effectively lose heat in space (by ejecting water) 
because (I could be wrong) the water has no nearby particle which it 
can transfer its energy (heat) to, therefore it is unlikely to 
freeze. I believe you require a transfer of energy between molecules 
or some such to change temperature. 

This is illustrated by one of the main space shuttle problems: 
Overheating. The humans and equipment inside radiates heat. It 
doesn't (because it can't) radiate into space. So things get warm. 
The only way to radiate heat is to do something like heat a gas and 
then vent that gas (particles with energy attached) into space, thus 
venting the energy. Normally, because you can't radiate the energy, 
it just stays with you. Or so I understood. 

Now perhaps I'm totally FUBAR. (Wouldn't be the first time). 

> How about "Mister" for your organic sandcaster? Instead of spraying
sand,
> it sprays water/some other liquid - which in space instantly freezes
into
> ice crystals anyway, giving roughly the same effect. fits the
organic-ship
> feel as well.
> 
> (One of David Brin's books had a scene where a (non-bio) ship dumped a
> massive load of water to screen it's escape - and to lose the
> wieght)(Can't remember the name...not 'Uplift War', not "sundiver',
one of
> the other uplift series books...with dolphins in it...mental blank...)
> 
> Brian (burger00@camosun.bc.ca)
> - http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Nebula/9774/games.html
-DS2/SG2/games-
> 
> 
> 
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