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Old 08-27-2015, 08:24 AM   #54
ErhnamDJ
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: OK
Default Re: [Spaceships] Heat Signature, Cloaking Device, and Stealth Hull

Quote:
Originally Posted by safisher View Post
I find it hilarious that all the posters here want to chime in about how "stealth in space is clearly stupid," while allowing without comment all the other TL^ technological assumptions that get you swooshing spaceships in space in the first place.
Is that what they're doing? "Stealth is impossible in space," seems to assume that we're talking about our current understanding of the world. We could just as easily say, "stealth is impossible whilst detonating hydrogen bombs." This too seems to assume that we're talking about our current understanding.

It may be possible to stealthily detonate hydrogen bombs in the Potomac and, with our current understanding of the way the world works, it seems about as plausible as submarine-like stealth in space.

Could this all be easily avoided by adding a small caveat to the statement? Different people have different understandings of what is physically possible even if we take current understanding for granted. Some people may believe the exotic matter needed for the Alcubierre drive is reasonably possible to procure, whereas other people might not, while both view their beliefs as falling squarely in the realm of hard science.
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