On 09Dec2017 1558, Kurt Feltenberger wrote:
> I've been contemplating a scenario where nuclear dampers are used and
> had some questions regarding their deployment and effects.
>
> 1.  When defending against nuclear missiles, what exactly happens to the
> nuclear warhead that the damper targets?  Does the warhead still
> detonate but due to the damper field fail to reach critical mass and
> thus produce a nuclear explosion?  (which sort of begs the question
> about how useful tossing nuclear bombs at each other in space really is...)

I think the whole thing fizzles, so only the HE trigger goes off, and
thus the weapon breaks up without going bang. And if the other side has
good dampers, nukes aren't much use 9as shown by the attack vs defence
tables in High Guard and Megatraveller). My recollection is that in HG
good damper fields were fairly large and power hungry, so only cruisers
and up could really afford to carry thing, making nuclear missiles
something most useful for frying escorts and missile boats.

> 2.  In one of the various products (or maybe a periodical article from
> decades back), there was a comment that dampers were used to clean up
> after nuclear accidents and nuclear attacks.  Again, how would this
> work?  It would seem like this is something akin to Dr. Feelgood's
> Fallout and Half-Live accelerator tonic in that it somehow accelerates
> decay to an absurd speed.

I understand that this is exactly what they do in this context - cause
radioactives to decay really fast. Rough on anything in the area in the
short term, but cleans the place up fast.

--
Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com>
Chief Assistant to the Assistant Chief