UFO & Velocities

Reading a lot of the posts with people picking apart some of the
more technical aspects of the old show the one no one seems to have
really mentioned is the apparent inconsistent problem of velocities.

We were supposed to presume that the UFO's travelled at velocities
far greater than that of light yet were detectable by SID (which
presumably used conventionel RADAR to detect the UFO - well by the
time SID got a signal the UFO would long be passed)

And even assuming the UFO had to slow down some distance outside the
Solar System so as not to run into something (like a planet!!) they
often used to quote velocities of several millions of miles an hour,
yet the Interceptors were clearly incapable of any significant speed
or acceleration due to their small size and limited propulsion
system.

In the episode where they tail a UFO back to their home planet, how
come a small probe launched by a conventional rocket could keep up
with a UFO that presumably would have travelled at greater than
light speed (or at least the millions of miles an hour quoted in the
show when referring to UFO velocities)

Even the actors and actresses seemed to get confused. Gabrielle
Drake in one episode totally misquotes a speed given to her by one
of her staff on Moonbase (but hey in that outfit who cares!!) when
relaying it back to Earth.

I guess for the sake of cost and time the show had to skimp here and
there, but even when I watched the show as a kid I always saw
through that one.

CONTENTS DELETED

Well, yes, they were inconsistent with their speeds and all that,
but I'm getting an idea of what the production team and writers were
trying to do.

First, the UFO's can travel up to a speed of 12 times the speed of
light, expressed in the show as SOL (speed of light). Once entering
our solar system, they slow down to a fraction of that speed (Sol
decimal 4). The interceptors are no match for that speed, unless
the UFO's slow down considerably to travel across the Earth or the
Moon, so that's why Moonbase calculates the speed and trajectory of
the UFOs and then calculates a likely detonation point for the
interceptor missiles, which explode in a blanket covering in order
to maximise the chances of damaging or destroying a UFO. All this,
in theory, is quite a good idea for a near future space combat
scenario...but as has been pointed out, the writers sometimes got
mixed up with this.

--- In [hidden email], "mps137" <martin@g...> wrote:
>
>
> Reading a lot of the posts with people picking apart some of the
> more technical aspects of the old show the one no one seems to
have
> really mentioned is the apparent inconsistent problem of
velocities.
>
> We were supposed to presume that the UFO's travelled at velocities
> far greater than that of light yet were detectable by SID (which
> presumably used conventionel RADAR to detect the UFO - well by the
> time SID got a signal the UFO would long be passed)
>
> And even assuming the UFO had to slow down some distance outside
the
> Solar System so as not to run into something (like a planet!!)
they
> often used to quote velocities of several millions of miles an
hour,
> yet the Interceptors were clearly incapable of any significant
speed
> or acceleration due to their small size and limited propulsion
> system.
>
> In the episode where they tail a UFO back to their home planet,
how
> come a small probe launched by a conventional rocket could keep up
> with a UFO that presumably would have travelled at greater than
> light speed (or at least the millions of miles an hour quoted in
the
> show when referring to UFO velocities)
>
> Even the actors and actresses seemed to get confused. Gabrielle
> Drake in one episode totally misquotes a speed given to her by one
> of her staff on Moonbase (but hey in that outfit who cares!!) when
> relaying it back to Earth.
>
> I guess for the sake of cost and time the show had to skimp here
and
> there, but even when I watched the show as a kid I always saw
> through that one.

I would like to make it clear that this "Nick" (quoted below) is not me and I would be obliged if he would either use another name or state his full name in posts to avoid any confusion.

Regards

Nick
----- Original Message -----
From: Nick
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 5:16 PM
Subject: [SHADO] Re: UFO & Velocities





Well, yes, they were inconsistent with their speeds and all that,
but I'm getting an idea of what the production team and writers were
trying to do.

First, the UFO's can travel up to a speed of 12 times the speed of
light, expressed in the show as SOL (speed of light). Once entering
our solar system, they slow down to a fraction of that speed (Sol
decimal 4). The interceptors are no match for that speed, unless
the UFO's slow down considerably to travel across the Earth or the
Moon, so that's why Moonbase calculates the speed and trajectory of
the UFOs and then calculates a likely detonation point for the
interceptor missiles, which explode in a blanket covering in order
to maximise the chances of damaging or destroying a UFO. All this,
in theory, is quite a good idea for a near future space combat
scenario...but as has been pointed out, the writers sometimes got
mixed up with this.

--- In [hidden email], "mps137" <martin@g...> wrote:
>
>
> Reading a lot of the posts with people picking apart some of the
> more technical aspects of the old show the one no one seems to
have
> really mentioned is the apparent inconsistent problem of
velocities.
>
> We were supposed to presume that the UFO's travelled at velocities
> far greater than that of light yet were detectable by SID (which
> presumably used conventionel RADAR to detect the UFO - well by the
> time SID got a signal the UFO would long be passed)
>
> And even assuming the UFO had to slow down some distance outside
the
> Solar System so as not to run into something (like a planet!!)
they
> often used to quote velocities of several millions of miles an
hour,
> yet the Interceptors were clearly incapable of any significant
speed
> or acceleration due to their small size and limited propulsion
> system.
>
> In the episode where they tail a UFO back to their home planet,
how
> come a small probe launched by a conventional rocket could keep up
> with a UFO that presumably would have travelled at greater than
> light speed (or at least the millions of miles an hour quoted in
the
> show when referring to UFO velocities)
>
> Even the actors and actresses seemed to get confused. Gabrielle
> Drake in one episode totally misquotes a speed given to her by one
> of her staff on Moonbase (but hey in that outfit who cares!!) when
> relaying it back to Earth.
>
> I guess for the sake of cost and time the show had to skimp here
and
> there, but even when I watched the show as a kid I always saw
> through that one.









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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

well, I am Nick of off_break_2001, but I can't help the name I was
christened with.

Nick (the other one)

--- In [hidden email], "Nick U Haysom" <SHADO@n...> wrote:
> I would like to make it clear that this "Nick" (quoted below) is
not me and I would be obliged if he would either use another name or
state his full name in posts to avoid any confusion.