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Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Star Wars Defense Plan
Message-ID: <4227@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 17-Aug-84 16:58:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: utzoo.4227
Posted: Fri Aug 17 16:58:52 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Aug-84 16:58:52 EDT
References: <966@ulysses.UUCP>, <1292@ihuxl.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 17

When we're talking about the formidable nature of missile submarines,
let us not forget the one major discovery that came out of the Seasat
project:  the precise shape of the sea surface tells you a lot about
what's underneath.  Seasat radar images of shallow areas often showed
accurate bottom detail, even though the radar was very definitely not
penetrating the water.  It would appear that the surface tends to mimic
the shape of the bottom!

The implications of this for submarines are obvious:  the "transparent
oceans" breakthrough that submariners have feared for some time may have
happened.  Nobody is saying anything in public about tracking submarines
using Seasat-like radar techniques, but I would be very uneasy about
assuming that missile subs are invulnerable because you can't find them.
It ain't necessarily so any more.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry