csdeptaa@unm-cvax.UUCP (12/20/84)
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Subject: Re: Hot potato >From: derek@uwvax.UUCP (Derek Zahn) >Date: Sun, 16-Dec-84 17:41:50 MST >Hmm... Perhaps the fabled "dilithium crystals" (described as 'cosmic >spark plugs' or some such nonsense) are the key. Suppose there is a >device that uses dilithium crystals and other assorted stuff in Scotty's >dept. which "transmutes" some form of normal matter into antimatter. >Then there would continually be only a small amount of antimatter actually >aboard the Enterprise at any given time. >This would explain many things. When the Enterprise destructs, only the >amount of antimatter currently being used (presumably small) would go >FOOM. Also, as the dilithium crystals deteriorated, the ability to >produce antimatter would go down, and thus leave the Enterprise unable >to use its warp engines. When kirk needed a bunch of antimatter to >blow off half a planet's atmosphere, just crank up the converter for a >while and drain off the excess antimatter. >------------------------------------------------------------------------- B I N G O, Almost!!!!!!!!!!! EEK, Gad!!! How soon one misplaces things one has done a long long time ago in a high school far far away! I was fiddling with the idea that a starship carried solid fuel (stable)!! My reasoning was simple, if a starship carried its anti-matter in large quanities and something happens ... BooM, instant comet! There is this process where some material (I think it's lead, but then again I don't think the type of material is important) is exposed to X-rays. The anti-matter that is produced is collected into a mag bottle, at least one to each nacelle. So, the starship does have to refuel. There then seems to be two different ways of refueling. One, the starship docks with a starbase (battle station, base station, dry dock, refueling ship) and it's tanks are refilled (maybe with hydrogen). Two, the translucent cowlings of the nacelles are basicaly (very small) ram-scoops taking in atoms of hyrogen, which would mean that the amount of fuel storage is very small. If this method is the primary way of obtaining fuel then a whole lot is not needed in the first place. A 'normal' size ram-scoop could be formed in the shape of a scoop by a magnetic field whenever the ship needs to refuel, if more fuel than what the cowlings can absorb is needed. Each Kg of matter mixed with one Kg of anti-matter releases the same energy as 43 1-megaton H-bombs. So, if an ounce of anti-matter is as powerful as 10,000 cobalt bombs and can rip half of a class M planet's atmosphere away...... There would seem to be an inconsistentcy to say that 1 Kg is more powerful than 1 ounce, that is if you would consider that a cobalt bomb is more powerful than a 1-megaton H-bomb? But, this inconsistentcy is for another discussion at a different time. The Dilithium Crystals wouldn't be needed to make anti-matter, only to focus and redirect that energy collected. The X-rays redirected from the crystals would then be used to make more anti-matter, and there would be a certain limit to the amount of anti-matter that could be made via the crystals. That's why Corbonite isn't used, it is still highly unstable when used to replace Dilithium. There are at least 6 dilithium crystals onboard, but as to which is used for the energy converter (at least 2) and which are backups and which are for other porposes, I'm not sure. Each warp engine houses a Multi-Contraterrene (to steel a name) ring configuration for its power plant and a Super Mark XII Mass Driver with baffle plates for the field generation drive. Each engine is actually a huge matter/anti-matter magnet (now catch this, it's not an electro-magnet) forming the ship's shields. If you can, imagine looking at the invisible magnetic field around that magnet. This is the general shape of the ship's deflectors. Objects penetrating the shields will flow along the magnetic field until that object is safely past or absorbed by the cowlings (remember that the field forms a 'natural' ram-scoop). The matter/anti-matter magnet (MAM-MAG) is very much more powerful than that of electro-magnets. You could think of it as a little more dense than any other magnetic force known in the 20th century. Rotating the right engine counter-clockwise and the left one clockwise (as seen in the show) creates the ship's artifical gravity. Selectively opening and closing of certain baffle plates will close/open holes in the shields to fire through, launch shuttles, or even use the transporters. However, baffling certain parts of the shields in battle will give the enemy a hole in which to shoot 'in', but there is a chance that his sensors will not pick up the field flux, but do you really want to take the chance? The internal groups of baffles are closed to prevent the two warp engines from repelling each other or trying to flip. In battle when a 'shield' goes down, what really happens is that the corresponding baffle plate(s) have been frozen shut by jarring direct hits, leaving large gaping holes. There are instances where the plate(s) are frozen wide open. In that, no problem, until you get back to base! One design had the plates rotating as well, but you can see what might happen in a battle if too many plates are stuck open! The engines will fly apart. The Star Fleet Ship Maintanance & Construction Bureau have always designed the engines so that it is easier for the baffle plates to fall closed than to stay open. That's why Scotty is always saying that the shield's are down! The Warp Field causes time inside the shields to stay constant, i.e. say the ship leaves point A for point B @ 0000hrs going Wf 4 and arrives at point B @ 0120hrs then turns around and heads back. When it arrives, the time on the ship is 0240hrs, but instead of centuries passing at point A, only 2hrs and 40minutes have gone by. This also preserves the Law of Causality. Another example is, if you go outside at night and look at a star and imagine being there, at that instant there's some ship that has traveled there in that instant. It has been known that special all volunteer crews have been sent on missions in which they return centuries into the future (if they return at all). For this kind of mission the warp field is neutralize. The Warp Drive itself propels the ship at such seeds as to cause a jump into the fourth dimension, but this is hyper space travel and it is beyond most known navigational techniques (remember "is there in truth no beauty" in which the mad dr. Marvick sends the Enterprise into an inter-galactic void and only kollos and his navigation skills get the Enterprise back. This void must be the fourth dimension). There is a thin line between the third and fourth dimension when at that speed and using that much power. What happens is this, like the way in which the third dimension is simulated on a piece of paper by drawing a cube! So is travel in the fourth dimension simulated by traveling in the third dimension!! I hope you like it, I've worked on it, on and off for a few years now. I hope that I've succeded in bringing out all the little details that seem to tie so many things together. There are many holes still left and a lot more work needed, but I think you'll get the picture. Comments? Complaints? Suggestions? Ideas? FLAMES? Chris Wayne @ UNM