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[The Froggy Ninja]

I think we should construct high-intensity long-range scanners so we can tell what's going on down there without launching drones at them

I don't think we have researched them yet, have we? If not, then research +1

+1

[TruePikachu]

For clarity, I wasn't saying all should be designed to accomidate us, but rather a single one, which we could move to.
An asteroid won't be able to go FTL, the GM already stated that. However, it might be possible to research cloaking tech which could make us appear as one.

+1 the scanners

[Morrigi]

For clarity, I wasn't saying all should be designed to accomidate us, but rather a single one, which we could move to.
An asteroid won't be able to go FTL, the GM already stated that. However, it might be possible to research cloaking tech which could make us appear as one.

+1 the scanners

It would require some pretty serious technosorcery to mask the thermal signature of something as large, complex, and energy-intensive as our shell.

You'd have to create a system like the Normandy has in Mass Effect - large heat sinks that allow a craft to reduce its thermal signature for a limited period of time by storing its waste heat. Considering that we have an ore refinery and construction fabricator in our shell and are a supercomputer, any practical implementation would be a massive drain on time and resources.

That said, shutting down as much stuff as possible would certainly help, especially since we don't have to worry about freezing to death.

[RadtheCad]

Actually, no.  We have subspace energy transfer, don't we?  Think about the implications of that.  The only danger is if there's a way of detecting subspace energy transfer waves. 

[10ebbor10]

Actually, no.  We have subspace energy transfer, don't we?  Think about the implications of that.  The only danger is if there's a way of detecting subspace energy transfer waves.

You're still running afoul of the Second law of Thermodynamics. The subspace energy link transfers an (unspecified)  form of energy. It does not transfer heat. Since our systems are not, and can't be 100% efficient, said waste energy will still build up rapidly, requiring the aforementioned heat sinks.

Though disguising as an asteroid/comet might not require the heat sinks. Our fake sublimation could be a very real droplet cooling system.

Also, computers can and will freeze to death. Cold breaks mechanics pretty quickly. Doubt ours would be affected though, considering what it's gone through.

[RadtheCad]

I know about the second law.  My point is, we can abuse the system by moving electricity back and forth to offload as much entropy to a seperate location as possible.  Of course, it'll use up a lot of negentropy, but we have a superreactor that'll supply us with quite a lot of that, don't we?  It's true you can't reverse the net entropy of a closed system, but we have a functionally infinite source of negentropy to use.  The subspace network can be used to export excess energy in form of electricity.

Even if we can't stop heat levels from rising, using lots of thermopiles and offloading electric/whatever energy it is, along with liberal usage of heatsinks, we could definitely stay cool for a while.  Of course, I'm not advocating any of this, as it'd be horrendously bulky and expensive.  Maybe for a smaller craft, or an asteroid where we can just fill a large volume with a chemical mix that can produce an endothermic reaction.

[10ebbor10]

That doesn't work. Truly, it doesn't. As I said, it's not electricity that you want to transport. It's heat. You can't turn heat into electricity*. You can only turn a difference in heat in electricity. If we had a way to turn heat into electricity, we wouldn't need the hyperspace link anyway. You'd have a pretty efficient perpetual mobile.

*Not waste heat anyway.

[RadtheCad]

I'm not saying we can turn heat into electricity and thereby violate thermodynamics.  I'm saying we can probably do something similar to what has been mentioned as being done in mass effect:  Heatsinks and so forth.  Using differences in heat to generate electricity (hence thermopiles) rather than just letting all the thermal energy radiate out through the structure.  What do you do with the resultant electricity?  Just offload it to a battery drone or something.  It wouldn't do much, no, but it would buy us a little bit more time.

[10ebbor10]

The point of stealth is that you don't radiate any energy. After all, radiating the energy means that you can be detected. That's the main reason for the heat sinks and such.

[RadtheCad]

I mentioned in my first post on the subject that the whole plan is fucked if there's a way to detect the subspace link being used.

[10ebbor10]

The radiation doesn't use the subspace link. Radiating through the structure is just plain radiation.

Also, resultant energy from energy recover is unlikely/impossible to be smaller than the energy use of the ship. You won't need to subspace link for that.

[RadtheCad]

Rule of Technobabble.

Unfortunately, you seem to knowledgeable to be affected by it.  Oh, well.

[TruePikachu]

The reactor puts out three main forms of energy - electricity we use on-board, energy which goes through the subspace link, and heat. Additionally, most of our electrical usage also generates heat. No matter what we do, we will always emit at least a little bit of heat, since no system is 100% efficient. Additionally, as it was stated, heatsinks and thermopiles and such work by operating on a difference of heat; while we could in _theory_ use space itself as the cold end, we are still going to be radiating that heat outwards (even moreso with space)

There is no such thing, IRL, as stealth in space. Space itself is a cold emptiness, and warm objects are very easy to find if they are at all present. It might be possible that our laws of physics don't actually apply in the universe in question, but in this universe, at least, it is impossible to attain proper stealth.

Now, I mainly suggested asteroid-looking cloaking because people were insistant on an asteroid base, probably since it wouldn't look like one. Keep in mind that we would still have the heat output problem, most likely to the same degree as otherwise, so hiding ourselves in an asteroid won't mask that. However, the disadvantage to an asteroid, as stated by the GM, is that we won't be able to get it to go FTL because of how massive it is.

I then suggested the asteroid cloak idea. In space, since there is no such thing as stealth, it won't do a whole lot. It can't do anything to reduce our heat signature; in fact, it might increase it a bit more. But the main reason I suggested it was so we at least somewhat don't appear artificial. If we come across a particularily stupid enemy, our cloaking might be effective. It might also be effective if we can get near enough to a star.

[Cain12]

All hail Ebbor, Defender of Physics. Seriously, I'm glad to have someone who knows enough to defeat people who think they can just keep spouting technobabble in hopes the enemy yields. Sure some technobabble has to be allowed for the sake of the setting, but lets not overdo it.

[Unholy_Pariah]

Liquid cooling pipes in the asteroids surface rock, yay cold exterior to thwart thermal imagery.

Its not like some larger asteroids dont have molten iron cores anyway.