Nukes

[frobisher]

The rapid vaporization will indeed cause some impulsive shock. It will cause some damage but whethe or not it will tear apart a ship depends on its construction.

Some?!?

We're talking at least the loss of 1 metric tonne per square metre of surface area over a microsecond. That's a hell of an impulse...

At this size and distance, probably not. Remember, there's lots of radiation out in space and ships have means to do deal with it.

And that is considerable below the density produced by a nuke's detonation...

 

[James McMurray]

Next on Fox: When Science Geeks Attack.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a geek myself, just of a different variety. (Obviously or I wouldn't be here).

 

[qstor]

Forgive me if I've wrong but it seems that people are forgeting that ships have some shielding. The Black Star's special shields were probably down when it approached the asteroid field? That's why the nuke destroyed it, either that or the energy over loaded the shields at that close range. It was a lot closer than 1km/mile..what ever...

I don't have the 2e ships books so I don't know the rules mechanics. I think someone on the boards posted some rules for the Gaim (sp?) nukes before..

Just my two cents

Mike

 

[frobisher]

Except the Minbari didn't have shield technology at that time...

In general, the younger races don't have shielding technology the way Star Trek and Star Wars do.

Yes, the Abbai and Brakiri do, and the Minbari gain the technology from the Vorlons (through the White Star programme) but in general, no.

 

[Aramanthus]

And where did you get this information Forb? Since the Minbari have a gravimetric drive, it sort of figures that they would be able to shield their ships thru the use of manipulating the gravity waves. I disagree, unless you show your evidence to the contrary.

 

[frobisher]

It's a jms says so thing mostly...

Nowhere, in dialogue in the series is there any reference to "shields". Visual effects wise, the only references we see are the Vorlons and (possibly) the White Star's adaptive armour example given in War Without End.

Using gravimetric drive to shield a ship and shield it simultaneously are actually logically mutually exclusive...

Think about it, you are in effect causing your ship to "fall" in a particular direction, to do that you are making that area more "attractive". To shield a ship, you'd have to make another area more gravitationally attractive so that the incoming fire goes there. See the problem?

 

[Shadow Queen]

hummmmmmmmmmmm nuke grenades

 

[Slightly Norse John]

Considering how pathetically small gravitic lensing effects are- millionths of a degree when one star passes behind another?-, and how much generated gravity it would take to actually bounce a beam of light off, I'd think the ship would be in far more danger from being torn to bits by it's own shields.
Anybody else remember a departure-from-the-norm Arthur C. Clarke short story, Neutron Tide, written in highly purple prose that he must have really enjoyed hamming up, solely for the sake of the godawful pun at the end?
'The only identifiable fragment of the pride of the United States Space Navy was- one star- mangled spanner.'
Augh.
[/i]

 

[Aramanthus]

Not a good enough explaination! I still stand on my first statement.

 

[frobisher]

Not a good enough explaination! I still stand on my first statement.

Good thing too, grind it into the ground like the bug it is - I'll stand by my explanation

 

[B_Steele]

One thing to also remember is that the term "radiation shielding" does not actually mean a force field or energy shield, it often means a layer of alloy or polymer that is drastcially more resistant to rads.

-Bry