Scanning for Life Signs

[Golan2072]

A common sci-fi concept is that it is possible to scan a ship, a station or a planet for life-signs. Is it possible to do such a thing realistically, or is such a scan in the realm of handwavium?

Regarding planets, I know that certain atmosphere types (the breathable ones) usually indicate the presence of life (and especially life-forms capable of photosynthesis). However, less developed life is harder to find (as is the case with Mars - we know nothing lives on the surface, but some bacteria might still exist beneath it).

Regarding ships, I was thinking of an infra-red scan over a period of time as well as a spectographic examination of the ship's life-support system.

 

[Supplement Four]

DGP's Grand Survey covers this, Omer, but it uses "Traveller-tech". I don't know how real that is.

The Scouts, according to that book, rely on the Neural Activity Sensor. It's all handwavim, though, because the NAS sensor is built upon psionic shield tech.

 

[boomslang]

Regarding ships, I was thinking of an infra-red scan over a period of time as well as a spectographic examination of the ship's life-support system.

That sounds plausible and feasible.

 

[Gadrin]

Asked this type of question over on the SJG bbs and got some nibbles.

I was wondering if it was possible to tell if another ship had an atmosphere -- say you encountered one floating in space; before boarding it.

A densitometer would probably be the best item (for a general scan not the atmo thingy), for if the scan is negative, then you know the other ship's gravity net is working. If it's down you can image the derelict and scan any people...er bodies.

As to the Trek scan for lifesigns and know there's tribbles, klingons and a one-third human, amer-indian, andorian hybrid, well, I think that's the usual sci-fantasy sensor, which doesn't occur in Traveller.

There's probably crafty people out there who could get a whole lot of info from regular sensors.

 

[Chaos]

For a planet, I would keep the surface under observation with the highest-resolution optical and/or infrared sensors I have. That way, if anything is moving, I could look at it more closely and figure out if it is a lifeform or not.

For a station or ship, the first step is using infrared sensors to check the station´s temperature... inhabited ships/stations should radiate more heat than abandoned ones.

 

[Golan2072]

From what distance do you think it'll be possible to analyze the composition of a ship's internal atmosphere by the means of spectrography?

 

[far-trader]

From what distance do you think it'll be possible to analyze the composition of a ship's internal atmosphere by the means of spectrography?

I think it will depend on the range of the weapon that's making the holes to let the atmosphere out to analyze...

:file_22:

I wonder if they meant some other spectrography exam?

 

[Golan2072]

So is there any other way to determine a ship's internal atmosphere composition short of boarding it?

 

[tjoneslo]

So is there any other way to determine a ship's internal atmosphere composition short of boarding it?

You're probably looking at some of the more exotic scanning technologies. An Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan is probably the best idea.

Generate a series of magnetic pulses. This causes the atoms in the intervening distance to flip around. When they return to their normal position, the radiate radio waves. Use an antenna to pick up these various radio waves for analysis.

The current (TL8) MRI technology relies upon a very large electromagnet and a extremely close antenna. To distinguish the radio waves from the background noise.

But (speculation here), with a better understanding of magnetic field generation, you may be able to get the magnetic field both focused and to resonate with particular frequencies that match with particular atoms. Run the frequency variation through various specific atoms (oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen) and take readings and analyze.

This won't be a long range kind of sensor, but may allow various kinds of analysis at (plot important) range.

 

[chshrkt]

You're probably looking at some of the more exotic scanning technologies. An Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan is probably the best idea.

[snip]

But (speculation here), with a better understanding of magnetic field generation, you may be able to get the magnetic field both focused and to resonate with particular frequencies that match with particular atoms. Run the frequency variation through various specific atoms (oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen) and take readings and analyze.

This won't be a long range kind of sensor, but may allow various kinds of analysis at (plot important) range.

Ooh, I like this.

If the PCs wanted to do a "full scan" a-la Trek or something, it could be set up to start at the bottom of the Periodic chart and work it's way up through the elements. Perhaps with a mass reading of the various elements and their general location as well.

"What the... Captain, this derelict Vargr scout ship appears to contain about three dTons of the element Au in the cargo hold!"

 

[Icosahedron]

I think MRI tech would be halted by the Faraday Cage effect of the ship's hull. The hull will also block most of the middle of the EM spectrum, and its thickness and rigidity will prevent the use of laser vibration microphone techniques. I doubt if you could detect the internal atmosphere from a distance, without Far-Trader's hole, and I can't think of a method of detecting life-forms directly. Remote scanning of a ship's interior is probably science fantasy.

But doesn't this just make the boarding action more necessary and more exciting? Isn't that the point of the game?

 

[BlackBat242]

Well, if there is an actual viewport, that allows light to pass through so you can see into/out of the ship, then it would be easy to measure composition & density of the atmosphere (or lack thereof) in the ship.

 

[Renaissance Man]

Given the existing handwaves of traveller tech that we must accept ab initio - namely, gravity tech - it's theoretically possible you could use a sensitive densometer to detect a moving mass within the ship (such as a crew member.) If it was even more sensitive, you might even get a full idea of the species of organism, the functioning of their blood and muscles, and heart etc. etc. - because they would come up as slight density variations under the scan.

Question is... is a desnometer that sensitive?

 

[aramis]

IMTU: Not at significant ranges!

IMTU, high accuracy densitometers have augmented medical scanning technologies. A typical diagnosic bed is a wand mounted sensor for the MRI system built into the bed, plus a 20cm pen densitometer, and the bed is also a sonogram transducer.

But to my mind, you get range OR detail.

 

[tjoneslo]

I realized that if you can generate enough of a signal to penetrate the hull to get accurate reading of the interior of a ship, you can boost the signal enough to become a weapon that bypasses ships armor. This is bad.

I agree with aramis that the gravity sensor isn't sensitive at long range to produce accurate gravity maps of the interior of a ship. It might work at essentially contact range, but not much more.

There is one passive sensor you might be able to use, the neutrino sensor. You need a very sensitive neutrino sensor (TL13+), a strong local source of neutrinos (say the system primary, or a fusion plant of a naval dreadnaught), a fair amount of computing power, and a little time. This relies upon the neutrino's ability to pass through anything unhindered, except very occasionally.

You use the neutrino sensor and the computer to build a negative map, where the probability of detecting x neutrinos per second, and finding y gives an idea of density and scale of the object. You end up with a shadow map or an x-ray over time. By rotating the object, you get the effect of a CAT scan.

 

[invisible_al]

Oddly enough I came across this blog post just after I read this thread

Mayan Muons and Unmapped Rooms.

They're using Muon detectors to map the inside of Mayan Pyramids in a non-invasive fashion. Tomorrows technology today

 

[Gadrin]

Oddly enough I came across this blog post just after I read this thread

Mayan Muons and Unmapped Rooms.

They're using Muon detectors to map the inside of Mayan Pyramids in a non-invasive fashion. Tomorrows technology today

Very cool. I'd like to see the results if they're "photographic" in nature. I assume a computer will assemble some sort of image.



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