David Johnson sez:
>Okay, I've got some sort of 'jump space gravity well detector'
Not if you are in GDW's universe. That's documented several times.
>(Didn't the "World Builder's Handbook" say I could `scan' systems at
>instellar distances?
Not at TL 15 (or 18 for that matter) to detect more than the presence of
the star. It has nothing to do with TL and everything to do with signal
differentiation. At those distances, all you'd receive is light sent from a
point source. All signals from that system would appear as the same signal.
>If this is so, how do I explore new territory?
That's easy: pick coordinates well beyond the 100 diam limit of the star (1000
is a good choice). Odds are very good that you won't bump into the gravity
well of a planet. Head slowly toward (take a month or two) the star and
examine it to determine the system's ecliptic plane. Then examine the
ecliptic plane for planets. As you drift in, you will get more data and figure
out the orbits of the planets.
That's part of what the ISS used to do. No one said all Scout Service work
was exciting.
Next time, someone can use your data to determine where in orbit the planets
will be, and where is a safe jump point.
Hey! I just got an idea for system defense! Build LARGE artificial grav
generators. Something Bship sized should be able to generate a large moon-sized
G well. In war, you can move a few around your system around the 100 diam
limit of your mainworld and disrupt those coming in - except your folks who
you can tell where these items and their masses are placed.