Miscellaneous setting question-and-answer thread (non race or character specific)

[CNW]

Hello,

I have a question that I don't think would be appropriate for either any of the race specific Q&As and I thought there could be a general repository of the various setting trivia that doesn't tie to any of the races or characters.

Lets kick it off:

What is the general procedure (and limitations of) when it comes to jump path discovery and mapping?
That is, how is a new, previously unknown jump path established, in terms of precise jump parameters or even if the path is viable at all..

Both the Earth scouts and the Orgus refugees traversed vast distances in what to them was completely unknown space, so I'd guess there will be some preliminary data to suggest the existence of such a path and the likely outbound jump zone (distant observation data, simulations etc), but what about the first actual try? Get to the jump zone, floor it for escape velocity and hope for the best?

How far ahead can you look (in terms of LY/system distance) and how long does the necessary number-crunch take? If a system traverse takes a couple of days, you can start calculating your next jump very much the instant you finish the last one..

[Krulle]

The jump path is fixed by the gravity locations, hence by the location of star systems.
Having somewhat good Star observation systems will tell you how the stars are located relative to each other, and how they're moving, and from the apparent location and the movements you can calculate the real positions (light from other stars is likely several years old).

And with that data you know in which direction you need to jump into HyperSpace, and how high (with how much energy).

Hence, the "Jump lanes" are merely dependent on the topography of the local star clusters.

[Arioch]

In order to calculate the jump parameters between two nearby star systems, you need to have precise measurements of the mass and relative motion of both stars. These can be obtained through observation; the closer the better, and the longer amount of time the better. Before making the first jump to a new system under normal circumstances, a survey ship would start with existing remote observation data, then travel to the adjacent star system, and spend some time there (weeks to months) both surveying the departure system and the destination system to refine measurements, before making the jump.

The case with the Orgus and the TCA's alien contact mission is a bit different, because the Orgus already had detailed star charts of the region, and they shared these charts with humanity. The Orgus are traders on an ancient "silk road" of trade routes that once extended the breadth of the Local Bubble and up-arm to Leda Station and beyond. Much of this network has been in disuse for many thousands of years, and the information about who controlled which systems is long obsolete, but the star data is still valid. The Orgus refugees had been cut off from the route up-arm to Leda, so they were following a long route through the Great Wasteland to try to reach inhabited territory in Union space or beyond to Ninnil. They were surprised to find an unexpected oasis in the wasteland.

[Keklas Rekobah]

In order to calculate the jump parameters between two nearby star systems, you need to have precise measurements of the mass and relative motion of both stars. ...

Would this not also require knowing and applying the following parameters?

• The "Jump Rating" or efficiency of the ship's engines.
• The ship's total mass and projected change in mass during the jump.
• The ship's rate of fuel consumption (which affects the change in mass).
• The position and mass of any intervening matter (e.g., "Jump Shadows").

Assuming a jump of 3 parsecs, would an intervening proto-stellar nebula of gas and dust (~1 psc. dia.) require diverting the ship's course around the nebula, or could the ship's navigator ignore the nebula and jump the ship through it without affecting the destination point or emergence from hyperspace?  Would any one species have an advantage under this condition?

[GeoModder]

In order to calculate the jump parameters between two nearby star systems, you need to have precise measurements of the mass and relative motion of both stars. ...

Would this not also require knowing and applying the following parameters?

• The "Jump Rating" or efficiency of the ship's engines.
• The ship's total mass and projected change in mass during the jump.
• The ship's rate of fuel consumption (which affects the change in mass).
• The position and mass of any intervening matter (e.g., "Jump Shadows").

Assuming a jump of 3 parsecs, would an intervening proto-stellar nebula of gas and dust (~1 psc. dia.) require diverting the ship's course around the nebula, or could the ship's navigator ignore the nebula and jump the ship through it without affecting the destination point or emergence from hyperspace?  Would any one species have an advantage under this condition?

If a ship is 'coasting' after it prepared for a jump (which involves using accumulated energy to work the jump generator), total ship mass and fuel consumption shouldn't be an issue.
Regarding the proto-stellar nebula, it would be a stellar-sized mass, only the density would be way down compared to a star. Also, a 10-lightyear jump seems a borderline possibilty in the Outsider universe. Or at least in our parts of the Local Bubble.

[Arioch]

In order to calculate the jump parameters between two nearby star systems, you need to have precise measurements of the mass and relative motion of both stars. ...

Would this not also require knowing and applying the following parameters?

• The "Jump Rating" or efficiency of the ship's engines.
• The ship's total mass and projected change in mass during the jump.
• The ship's rate of fuel consumption (which affects the change in mass).
• The position and mass of any intervening matter (e.g., "Jump Shadows").

All that the jump drive does is to "pop" the ship into hyperspace; the ship's momentum and the gravity well of the target take care of the rest. The ship is ballistic during the hyperspace transit, so engine ratings or fuel efficiency is not a factor. Your jump generators need to be powerful enough to get your ship's mass into hyperspace, but beyond that they don't affect the range or accuracy of the jump. The important parameters to a jump are your velocity and position, and the positions and masses of all significant nearby bodies.

Assuming a jump of 3 parsecs, would an intervening proto-stellar nebula of gas and dust (~1 psc. dia.) require diverting the ship's course around the nebula, or could the ship's navigator ignore the nebula and jump the ship through it without affecting the destination point or emergence from hyperspace?  Would any one species have an advantage under this condition?

Any significant mass will affect the ship's path through hyperspace, so jumping into or through a nebula or dust cloud is hazardous. I think it would be very difficult to precisely map the distribution of mass in a cloud, so this would introduce a potentially dangerous level of uncertainty. This is why the the boundaries of the "bubbles" in the interstellar medium act as barriers to jump travel.

[CrimsonFALKE]

Where are the actions and selectors on those rifles?

[Keklas Rekobah]

Where are the actions and selectors on those rifles?

Answered in another thread.

[Arioch]

Where are the actions and selectors on those rifles?

The selector is at the thumb, and the action is on the right side.