Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: notesfiles - hp 1.2 08/01/83; site hp-pcd.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!vax135!petsd!pesnta!hplabs!hp-pcd!john
From: john@hp-pcd.UUCP (john)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: New discussion
Message-ID: <13100031@hp-pcd.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Oct-85 12:55:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: hp-pcd.13100031
Posted: Fri Oct 18 12:55:00 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 21-Oct-85 01:03:24 EDT
References: <353@uw-june.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Corvallis, OR
Lines: 24
Nf-ID: #R:uw-june:-35300:hp-pcd:13100031:000:1039
Nf-From: hp-pcd!john    Oct 18 08:55:00 1985

<<<<
<
< That's not entirely true.  For things traveling a substantial fraction of 
< the speed of light (>0.01?), we could measure speed from the Doppler shift 
< of reflected light.  Assuming you know what the thing looks like at some
< definite speed. 
<
You can also listen for the sound of a supersonic jet and fire when you hear
it but I don't think you would last very long in battle.

There is a very simple way to detect and track ships moving at warp speeds.
If you can build a device that can "Warp" space then you can also build 
something that can measure the amount of warp at some point in space. The
amount of warp will be greatest at the ship and will fall off in some 1/R^2
function to  near zero. The area in which a ships field will warp space to
a detectable amount is huge so that a incoming ship can be detected several
minutes away. 

Another thing to consider is that a incoming ship at warp 6 will spend most
of its time deccelerating to a slow enough speed to use its weapons.


John Eaton
!hplabs!hp-pcd!john