<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Vacuum has no temperature.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Actually, yes and no.
All definitions of temperature have something to do with the movement of particles. But there is no absolute vacuum in space - so there will always be a few stray atoms bumping into you.
In addition to that, there are waves of radiation from stars, and the cosmic background radiation. Waves, as we know, can also be treated as particles. Therefore, by flexing the definitions a bit, one could say that space has a temperature.
An object placed into completely empty intergalactic space would soon reach the temperature of the cosmic background radiation which, unless I'm mistaken, is around 3 kelvins.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Eyeballs freezing.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Because of water evaporating from the eyes into vacuum. This should happen quite fast, but I hope nobody has ever tried it.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>What type of environment she was in?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I think we might best understand Liandra's targeting system if we'd compare it to other ship control systems.
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WARNING! SHADOW NITPICKING FOLLOWS!
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1. Sharlin warcruisers.
The tactical centres of Minbari cruisers have neat holographic capabilities, supported by a healthy level of artificial intellect. They are ideal platforms for a commander to designate which manouvers to conduct, which targets to engage.
The difference is that warcruisers have a crew and fighters. An alyt only examins the "big picture", considers strategy/tactics and issues commands. For commanding large ships and whole fleets, this is doubtlessly the best division of tasks.
2. Nial fighters.
Nial fighters react to voice commands, hand gestures and may also read eye movements. To follow a target, a pilot would have to look at the target and give the command "ship, follow".
Due to limited space, power and other possibilities, fighters have no complicated virtual reality or holographic systems. Non-critical features can be controlled with hand gestures, buttons and other slower means.
3. White Stars.
Navigation and gunnery tasks on a White Star are flexibly distributed. It can be flown by a single person, but in combat a crew is highly recommended.
From observing a typical situation on a White Star I can conclude that there are at least two gunners (at the front of the command deck) whose seats are firmly fixed and who seem to control the ship/weapons with their eye/finger movements. They control the ship in the most demanding manouvers.
The same tasks can be carried out from the positions beside/behind the captain's seat. In case of the fleet's leading White Star, this seems to mean practically anyone familiar with the ship, including but not limited to Susan, Lennier, Marcus, John or Delenn.
As the persons at those positions are not firmly seated, we may conclude that they are not very critical a White Star's functioning in battle. Besides, with a ship using gravity engines, the event of a captain/navigator flying headfirst into a wall should be very rare. I guess this is the Minbari version of the "bonehead manouver".
If the ship can no longer maintain safe accelerations, it means that the engines are severely damaged and command decisions no loger of much value -- as they can't be carried out.
4. The Liandra
Smaller and older than a White Star. This means that all tasks can't be distributed. It has to be handled by a single person.
Large enough to have holographic technology. Presumably large enough to locally manipulate gravity (as opposed to the fighters which simply maintain neutral gravity and propel themselves with gravity engines).
Thus I would suspect that the gunner is using a smaller version of a warcruiser's command centre, which has instead of communications systems been fitted with weapons control programs. Fine-tuning shots, electronic countermeasures, distance calculations and zooming are probably automatic. Target info appears next to the target. The gunner only does what a sentient mind is good at -- formulates tactics and selects targets. The rest is computerized.
5. Comparison with ships controlled more directly.
A Vorlon personal transport is telepathically linked to its master. A Vorlon can see with its sensors, feel its condition and control every aspect of its functioning with thought. Vorlon cruisers and planet-killers are probably controlled by many Vorlons, but with similar means. Vorlon fighters are probably remote-controlled.
Shadow vessels use a living being as their control system. The personality of that being has been destroyed, its body integrated into the ship. The core of a Shadow vessel has no free will, and has been re-programmed to destroy (unless told otherwise). A ship's core makes no distinction between his or her person and "the machine". The ships are controlled telepathically by "the eye".
While not organic, technomage ships are also closely linked to their owner. A piece of the mage's chrysalis is installed in the ship, allowing access to its functions with no more than a thought.
6. Comparison with ships controlled less directly.
Well, most of Earth Force still uses buttons, joysticks, touch-screens and simpler forms of voice control.
[This message has been edited by Lennier (edited October 28, 2001).]
