History[]
Invented in 2290 by Thaddeus Ignatius Wallam-Crane the drop portal is the Military's most famous technology and used to travel around the galaxy.
Technology[]
S.T.A.R. — Simultaneous Transmission And Reception
| The transmitting portal does all the work, and the instant when the drop portal dust ring simultaneously exists at both transmission and reception point, stabilizing its own incoming signal. | ||
–narrative, [1] | ||
A drop portal is fired from a ship, because of power issues it creates a portal out of surrounding dust particles. Also because of the amount of power it generates it must not come in contact with solid matter because the energy will focus into a single explosion if it does.
The portal is created by folding space so that it exists simultaneously in both the transmitting and receiving area and will only last for 5.13 seconds in space, but in a planetary atmosphere, its existence is for a slightly shorter time. There are conditions where a dust ring cannot form at all, such as inside a planet or in the hostile conditions too close to a star.[2]
Drop Portal Dead Zone[]
Fighter pilots didn’t normally need to worry about the "drop portal dead zones" surrounding stars as the area is too lethal for humans to enter, but mapping probes and Solar Watch satellites could be sent near to it. Solar Watch satellites are positioned inside the dead zone, so they are dropped portaled outside of the zone and then maneuvered into their final position within the zone, sometimes take many weeks to arrive there.
Probes[]
Un-manned probes are fired through a drop portal into a new star system first. They do not have any portal technically on them except a small O ring used for communications.
Mapping Probes[]
| "With a totally new star system, the drop portal coordinates are calculated from astronomical observations. There is a risk of some serious errors because you aren't seeing the current state of the star system. You don't want a manned ship arriving in the middle of a planet, so you send an unmanned mapping probe first, aim it somewhere outside the star system, and it does a high speed bounce through collecting some accurate up-to-date information to use in calculating coordinates.." | ||
–Author Janet Edwards, [3] | ||
The probe sends the information back to the military teams via a comm portal.
Planet First Probes[]
These probes are designed to be used once and then sent into the star to burn up. A survey ship fires up the drop portal and sends the probe through it.
Because of their limited use, they contain minimal equipment, mostly sensors and basic maneuvering capabilities. They also contain a receiving communication ring so that the Planet First teams can communicate with it. The probes sends the data it collects via the communications ring and receives minor instructions.
Manned Exploration[]
Once the probes have done their jobs, then a manned ship can enter a new system. There is still a big risk as there may be objects that were initially missed or new comets entered the system, this is why only volunteer pilots are sent to map new star systems.
| Her voice took on a heavily formal note. “Major Tell Dramis, I must warn you that this assignment will involve using drop portals to reach uncharted star systems that may contain extreme hazards. You are under no pressure to volunteer for this mission, and you may take a reasonable amount of time to consider your decision.” | ||
–General Hiraga to Drago, [4] | ||
Notes[]
References[]
- ↑ Edwards, Janet. Earth Flight (Earth Girl) (p. 9). Prometheus Books. Kindle Edition.
- ↑ Edwards, Janet. Sol 2781 (Drago Tell Dramis Book 4) (p. 160). Wallam-Crane Press. Kindle Edition.
- ↑ email answer from author, Janet Edwards on 4/21/20
- ↑ Edwards, Janet. Earth 2788: The Earth Girl Short Stories (p. 211). Wallam-Crane Press. Kindle Edition.