Question about satellites

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Fusilier

All satellites are shielded against natural electromagnetic radiation to some length...

This is a good point, however as stated, you don't necessarily have to attack and take out the satellites directly to render them useless/destroy them.
Take out the control interface with them and they might as well not exist.

GPS systems and portable uplink units may work for a while, but without updates and corrections from the ground, they will soon fall out of position and either burn up on re-entry or be otherwise rendered completely useless.

[dragoon500ly]

To be sure, these platforms are shielded against solar winds and the radiation belt, but nobody really knows just how resistant they would be following EMP from a few hundred nukes.

But it all boils down to the canon material does it not?

[Legbreaker]

Very true, and being essentially just a game, we can throw physics out the window if we as GMs so feel.

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Very true, and being essentially just a game, we can throw physics out the window if we as GMs so feel.

GM.. Two letters that define petty lunch table tyrants.

[dragoon500ly]

You say that like it is a bad thing!

And I deny any rumors that I am a killer GM!

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

You say that like it is a bad thing!

And I deny any rumors that I am a killer GM!

No I only say it from pure pride. I even managed to kill half a group of player while playing Starwars. They died as they blown up half a city.

During another game, a group of my players managed to flunk their last mission, giving ultimate victory to the Empire remnants.

And I'm the kindest of our small group of GM.

[natehale1971]

I've been looking up some info on the GPS Satellite Network... and this is what i've found.

22 February 1989 - 09 October 1985. Block I GPS Satellite network (12). NAVSTAR-1 to NAVSTAR-12

14 February 1989 - 1 October 1990. Block II GPS Satellite network (9). NAVSTAR II-1 to NAVSTAR II-9

26 November 1990 - 06 November 1997. Block IIA GPS satellite network (19). GPS IIA-1 to GPS IIA-19

17 January 1997 - 06 November 2004. Block IIR satellite network (13). GPS IIR-1 to GPS IIR-13

26 September 2005 - 17 August 2009. Block IIR-M satellite network (8). IIR-M-1 to GPS IIR-M-8


I also found out about GLONASS satellite navigation system network... the soviet union and the Eastern Block's version of GPS. I also am reading about a Chinese AND a European version of GPS.

12 October 1982 - 10 December 1995. The Soviet Union launches into orbit the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) network, their answer to the American Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network.


With this kind of coverage, it's very possible that GPS (or it's equivilents) could still be operating in the Cannon Twilight 2000 timeline.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by natehale1971

With this kind of coverage, it's very possible that GPS (or it's equivalents) could still be operating in the Cannon Twilight 2000 timeline.

Not a chance I'm afraid.
The GPS satellites require almost constant updating of their internal clocks due to "time dilation". Basically time runs slower in space than it does here on earth (yes, this has been scientifically proven believe it or not), and without the ground stations updating them at least daily, they rapidly become totally useless as navigation markers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacetime
The difference may only be tiny fractions of a second but that can translate to tens, even hundreds of metres of error accumulating daily without the ground station updates.
Spread that over a year to say mid to late 1998 and GPS might tell you what town you're near, but don't even think about trying to do anything that requires precision such as calling artillery.
Then there's the small issue of needing at least three satellites for a decent fix. With each satellite out of whack so to speak, errors could be compounded even more. Also given that many may well have been knocked out during the war for a variety of reasons, and that they only work when in line of sight, you might get only a few minutes every day of enough satellites over your head.

[Mohoender]

Since Einstein, I have no problem to believe it.

[atiff]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

The difference may only be tiny fractions of a second but that can translate to tens, even hundreds of metres of error accumulating daily without the ground station updates.

For reference:
"One of the most significant error sources is the GPS receiver's clock. Because of the very large value of the speed of light, c, the estimated distances from the GPS receiver to the satellites, the pseudoranges, are very sensitive to errors in the GPS receiver clock; for example an error of one microsecond (0.000 001 second) corresponds to an error of 300 metres (980 ft)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gps#Cor...iver.27s_clock

[mikeo80]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

GM.. Two letters that define petty lunch table tyrants.

Now wait just a moment there....I represent that remark!!!!

My $0.02

Mike

[mikeo80]

I had forgotten all of the hoopla about this launch. It happened in 2008. Well outside of the T2K universe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-satellite_weapon

However, these things had to be in development in the mid 1990's. It stands to reason that under the pressure of war, the R&D would have been pushed as hard as possible.

Could this have been deployed? Hard to say. The Ticonderoga class Aegis cruiser was introduced in 1983.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticonderoga_class_cruiser

The Arleigh Burke class destroyer was indroduced in 1988.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arleigh...lass_destroyer

Both types had the Aegis fire control and detection system.

So it is possible that the US ASAT program would have continued as others have speculated. The F-15 Eagles and B-52 BUFF's would also have been available as launch platforms.

My $0.02

Mike