From: wolfone@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Patrick Chester)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
Subject: Re: Sci-Fantasy Weapons (Was: Re: Weapons systems?)
Keywords: infeasible space weapons kill KILL
Date: 20 Nov 92 15:37:57 GMT
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX

In article <1992Nov14.121743.22969@newstand.syr.edu> pksuk@mothra.syr.EDU (Peter K. Suk) writes:
]----- wolfone@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Patrick Chester) writes:
]
]> max@west.darkside.com (Erik Max Francis) writes:
]>]I've been thinking about combat in space, and am wondering if anyone has 
]>]come up with any novel weapons/delivery systems.
]
][Stuff deleted]
]
]>Obligatory anime rip-offs:
]>      -Minovski Particle generator? :)
]>      -Beam Sabers :)
]>      -Wave Motion Gun :)
]
]For those of us not so well versed in anime, what _is_ a Minovski Particle
]generator?  What is it's explaination or basis?  Your smileys make it likely
]that lots of folks reading won't like the idea, but, goddamn it, I'm 
]curious.  (Also, the reactions might be amusing.;)

Oops, wrong newsgroup in-joke :)

Okay, Minovski Particles (named after the discoverer) are a sort of sub-atomic
particle that, when emitted in huge numbers, absorb all radio-wavelengths of
energy. They are very short-lived, but it is easy to make them in large amounts
and blanket a small volume of space with them. An anime series called Mobile
Suit Gundam uses them as a way to justify Mobile Suits, fighters and warships 
exchanging fire in a space battle at ranges of only a few kilometers instead
of tens of thousands of kilometers. Without radar, the ranges are that short
since it is very hard to acquire a target at long range. You can fire at the
regular ranges (50,000 km+) if the target is relatively big or motionless with
guidance from telescopes or a local fire director near the target but your
best bet in this environment is to close the range. Sorry for the confusion.

Mobile Suits btw/ are piloted humanoid-shaped (usually) war machines with
thrusters for fighting in space. They are very agile compared to regular
space fighters and can fight on a planet's surface, too. Think of a 15m-tall
armored exoskeleton with a cockpit in the center torso. A history of the 
Gundam universe describes them as outgrowths of construction exoskeletons used
in building the thousands of O'Neill-type colonies at various LaGrange points.

Oh yeah, more detailed information is available in rec.arts.anime of course, if
you ignore the occasional "Federation vs. Neo-Jionism" flamewars. You'll find
out what that is if you read it. 

]
]What do you mean by 'Beam Saber?'  (Same stuff applies as above.)

Beam sabers are essentially light sabers used by Mobile Suits for close combat.
They are described as either plasma contained in a tight magnetic field or
a particle beam contained in a tight magfield to explain their use. They're
neat, but useless w/o Minovski Particles since the Mobile Suit using them would
get fried at long range if its opponent didn't have to close to shoot with
any accuracy.


-- 
Patrick Chester            |----------------------------------------------------
wolfone@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu |"The earth is too fragile a basket in which to keep
Politically Incorrect      |  all your eggs." Robert A. Heinlein
Future Lunar Colonist      |"The meek shall inherit the Earth. The rest of us
#^%$!! Militarist          |  are going to the stars." Anonymous
(Of the Sun Tzu mentality) |----------------------------------------------------
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