MetaFic

Without being drawn into the eternal whirlpool of "what is SF vs. fantasy vs. spec fic" --

While there's no drag in space, there is still inertia. A high-mass object is going to require more force (and more time) to slow, accelerate, to change direction, than a low-mass object. Thus, it seems to me that a low-mass craft would be more "maneuverable" (in the sense of being able to change velocity and direction more quickly and easily) than a low-mass craft.

Stealth: I don't really understand what this term means, except that I understand that some aircraft are now built in such a way as to make them more difficult to pinpoint by radar. I have not read enough of the science to understand how this is done, but I don't think it depends on the presence of air. If it doesn't depend on air, then presumably you could make a spacecraft more difficult to detect by radar as well.

I'm not quite sure about the need for something as powerful as a nuclear weapon. Even a large vehicle, it seems to me, could be disabled by having its method of propulsion damaged, or by killing those who operate it. Does that require a nuclear blast? If the sort of missle that is used today by aircraft were employed, could it not inflict that variety of damage?

Actually, "battles" between spacecraft are nearly impossible to make scientifically realistic anyway. When you take into account the extreme velocities, the tremendous distances and similar factors, most battles would either be over immediately or would never take place. Space battles are a remnant of the Space Opera of the 1940s, and while there's a revival movement I think that most SF authors dont' go there these days.

"While there's no drag in space, there is still inertia. A high-mass object is going to require more force (and more time) to slow, accelerate, to change direction, than a low-mass object. Thus, it seems to me that a low-mass craft would be more "maneuverable" (in the sense of being able to change velocity and direction more quickly and easily) than a low-mass craft."

True to a point, however, size matters. Due to Mechanical Stress, as volume increase far faster than area, an 19 kilometer ship is more powerful than a 1.6 kilometer ship as the 19 kilometer ship must have a hull as strong as 700 miles thick steel just to keep from flying apart from its own acceleration.

So if you can build big, do so.

"Stealth: I don't really understand what this term means, except that I understand that some aircraft are now built in such a way as to make them more difficult to pinpoint by radar. I have not read enough of the science to understand how this is done, but I don't think it depends on the presence of air. If it doesn't depend on air, then presumably you could make a spacecraft more difficult to detect by radar as well."

A planet has a lot of junk to interfere with radar signatures. In the vacuum of space, Life Support shows up like a Christmas tree from off the shelf equipment. So their is no running silent, its a lost cause to start with.

"I'm not quite sure about the need for something as powerful as a nuclear weapon. Even a large vehicle, it seems to me, could be disabled by having its method of propulsion damaged, or by killing those who operate it. Does that require a nuclear blast? If the sort of missle that is used today by aircraft were employed, could it not inflict that variety of damage?"

Short answer is yes you need nukes.

"Actually, "battles" between spacecraft are nearly impossible to make scientifically realistic anyway. When you take into account the extreme velocities, the tremendous distances and similar factors, most battles would either be over immediately or would never take place. Space battles are a remnant of the Space Opera of the 1940s, and while there's a revival movement I think that most SF authors dont' go there these days."

False Dilemma, Scientists have a very good ideal of how space battles will go. Even more, they have already tested the weapons to be used in space itself.

Well, in Star Trek, just about every plasma based weapon has a range. The best example would be the one that the Romulans used in the original series "Balance of Terror". Also, at least in Star Trek, they did explain how a ship can go into stealth mode. One is by bending light around an object. That's not fantasy after a year or two ago. Scientists were able to bend microwaves around an object making it appear invisible in that part of the spectrum.

"Well, in Star Trek, just about every plasma based weapon has a range. The best example would be the one that the Romulans used in the original series "Balance of Terror". Also, at least in Star Trek, they did explain how a ship can go into stealth mode. One is by bending light around an object. That's not fantasy after a year or two ago. Scientists were able to bend microwaves around an object making it appear invisible in that part of the spectrum."

Works fine in an atmosphere, but in space, the heat generated by such microwaves would light up quite spectacularly compared to spatial objects. Thermodynamics, you can't beat its laws in space.

In my literature course SciFi was a sub-genre of Fantasy. That is to say:- all SciFi is Fantasy ...