wanttaja@ssc-vax.UUCP (Ronald J Wanttaja) (09/24/84)
> Which brings up my question: In "Tomorrow is Yesterday" they spotted the > Enterprise on radar because it was flying low. Supposedly, "Assignment: > Earth" was supposed to take place in the early 70s (ie, near future) > where they would have improved space tracking facilities. Why didn't > anyone notice the lumbering starship up among the heavens? -- It's a lot easier to jam or spoof radar when you know exactly the environment you will be entering. The Enterprise, thrown unknowing into the 20th century in "Tomorrow is Yesterday," would have to analyse the radar threat in *real* time, among all the other problems it had at that time. However, we can assume that part of the mission preparation for "Assignment: Earth" included pre-configuring the Enterprise ECM to remain hidden. Another point is that Enterprise was probably detected by NORAD radars designed to detect aircraft (The ship was low enough in the atmosphere to be within the operational envelope of an F-104) and in "Assignment: Earth" it never got that close. Then (as now) there was no defense radar scanning the heavens for incoming spacecraft. Ron Wanttaja (ssc-vax!wanttaja) "... and his name is Eric? Eric the Bee?" "No, it's Eric the Half-Bee. He had an accident."