Re: Jump effects?

 In message: [email removed] Bertil Jonell writes:
 >
 >>       I have always assumed that travelling through jump space did odd
 >> things to one's metabolism. This has had amusing consequences.
 >
 >On the subject of jumpspace I have a three big questions:
 >
 >What, excactly is jump-sickness?
 >
 >Does it come from some kind of radiation in jumpspace?
 >(presumably emanating from the different natural laws there?)

     Interesting questions.  I just happened to have my copy of the
Starship Operator's Manual (Vol. I) handy (I love dialup), so let's
take a look at the section on "Jump Drive:"

     [Oh, yes...I am quoting without the express permission of either
GDW or Digest Group, but I think I'll be brief enough that it'll come
under the heading of "fair use."]

     In the section headed "THEORY," it is stated:

          "...As the discharge of the drive energies to the hull grid
          increases, the unraveling [of normal space] becomes great
          enough to open up a 'rift' in the weave of jumpspace."

Okay, that's jump transition.  It goes on further to say, on the subject of
the jump field:

          "...As the rift closes, the protective jump field 'bubble'
          around the ship is also sealed.  This bubble keeps out the
          strange physics of jumpspace, and serves to provide a safe
          region for the ship, where the normal physics of our universe
          operate..."

So we can see that the ship (and occupants) are *protected* from the
effects of jumpspace.  That such protection is considered necessary
suggests that jumpspace exposure is harmful in some way, yes?

     In the "comments from the Old Timer" section (worth the price of
the book, IMHO), an anecdote is related where one crew member is lost
into jumpspace (as a result of a hull breach) and another dies of
jumpspace exposure (jump sickness) even though he is wearing a vacc
suit (which, I should think, would provide some protection from
radiation).  Later on, in a discussion of the jump field bubble mentions
that people can go insane from close exposure to the field surface (a
few centimeters) and some can die of the effects.  However, if a decent
distance is maintained (a meter or so), people can crawl around on the
hull without much in the way of harm.  I'd say it was *dangerous*, of
course, but not *deadly*, if one was careful.  I'd also say that this
rules out radiation, unless this "radiation" falls off in intensity by
some rule much worse than that obeyed by normal electromagnetics.

     Offhand, I'd say that jump sickness was caused by the effects of
a different physics on a biological system.  In other words, this
causes adaptive changes that can eventually kill (due to slow re-adapive
changes upon return to normal space?).  A minor exposure causes
insanity due to the extreme sensitivity of the nervous system in
comparison to other systems in the body.  The effects of minor changes
would show up there first.  Also, other, more robust systems would have
a chance to recover easier since they suffer bad effects much less.

 >Is it related to the reason behind that Jigd-Il-Jagd can't travel in
 >jumpships?

     Who?


- --
     Brent

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