Re: Active vs Passive

In a message dated 4/13/00 2:32:48 PM Central Daylight Time,
baqrt@mta.ca 
writes:

<<  Yes, that would work (somewhat), although how are you going to be
sure
 which side is safe to radiate on? If you're wrong, you've just become
 VERY visible. Also, doing this requires extra power (heat sinks are NOT
 super-efficient), which therefore means you have to radiate more heat,
 which means....
 
    I'm just not sure it would be worth the effort.
  >>

The point is do you radiate any heat at all into space - space hasno air
to 
heat byradiation. At best to a sensor youwould be a pinprick - a hot one

determined only if you can read the surface temprature of the hull - the

waste heat would be read perhaps in em emiissions but would be a lot
less 
noticeable than neutrino or particle emission, sensor or communicator 
emission - running under EMCON you would just be a lump of metallic 
composition indistinguishable from a planetoid - until you add thrust
and 
start to maneuver THEN you stand out like a sore thumb from delta-vee 
analysis and perhaps a drive plume.