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The SFTE (Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine) generates a resonance field, which when coupled with the unusual physics of the Slipstream, allows for dramatically shorter transit times between stars; however, scientists note an odd "flexibility" to temporal flow while inside the Slipstream. Though no human scientist is sure why travel time between stars is not constant, many theorize that there are "eddies" or "currents" within the Slipstream—there is generally a five to ten percent variance in travel times between stars. This temporal inconsistency has given military tacticians and strategists fits, hampering an uncounted number of coordinated attacks. Shaw-Fujikawa engines allow ships to leave normal space and plow through Slipspace. Slipspace drives use particle accelerators to rip apart normal space-time by generating micro black holes. These holes are evaporated via Hawking radiation in a nanosecond. The real quantum mechanical "magic" of the drive lies in how it manipulates these holes in space-time, squeezing vessels weighing thousands of tons into Slipspace.
The SFTE (Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine) generates a resonance field, which when coupled with the unusual physics of the Slipstream, allows for dramatically shorter transit times between stars; however, scientists note an odd "flexibility" to temporal flow while inside the Slipstream. Though no human scientist is sure why travel time between stars is not constant, many theorize that there are "eddies" or "currents" within the Slipstream—there is generally a five to ten percent variance in travel times between stars. This temporal inconsistency has given military tacticians and strategists fits, hampering an uncounted number of coordinated attacks. Shaw-Fujikawa engines allow ships to leave normal space and plow through Slipspace. Slipspace drives use particle accelerators to rip apart normal space-time by generating micro black holes. These holes are evaporated via Hawking radiation in a nanosecond. The real quantum mechanical "magic" of the drive lies in how it manipulates these holes in space-time, squeezing vessels weighing thousands of tons into Slipspace.


The [[Covenant]] have a very finely tuned version of this technology, far superior to the UNSC's. Instead of simply tearing a hole into Slipspace, it cuts a very fine slit and slips into Slipspace with precision (much like a scalpel compared to a chainsaw). It exits the same way, and can have pinpoint accuracy. In one instance, the ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'' is able to jump into Slipspace with Cortana's understanding of Covenant technology in the presence of a gravitational field.
The [[Covenant]] have a very finely tuned version of this technology, far superior to the [[UNSC's | Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace Drive]]. Instead of simply tearing a hole into Slipspace, [[Covenant]] slipspace drives cut a very fine hole in the fabric space time and slips into Slipspace with precision (much like a scalpel compared to a baseball bat). It exits with the same pinpoint accuracy.


In Halo: First Strike, while inside the [[Ascendant Justice]], [[Cortana]] manages to figure out how to make a Slipspace jump from within the atmosphere of [[Threshold]]. Later, a Covenant AI manages to leak the data out to the rest of the Covenant. In [[Halo 2]], the [[Prophet of Regret]] uses this knowledge to jump while directly over [[New Mombasa]], destroying the city during [[The First Battle of Earth]]<ref>[[Halo 2]], level [[Metropolis]]</ref>.
Because the superfine quantum filaments the UNSC use to compute a path are disrupted by gravity<ref>[[Halo: First Strike]], Page 85</ref>, they are incapable of transitioning while in a gravitational field. The Covenant's technology, though, is more than capable of computing slipspace paths while in gravitational fields, meaning that they are be able to transition while in a gravity well. Indeed, In [[Halo: First Strike]], while in control of the [[Ascendant Justice]], [[Cortana]] when using the advanced Covenant technology to make a Slipspace jump from within the atmosphere of [[Threshold]] remarked that 'It was as if she was blind before'<ref>[[Halo: First Strike]], Page 85</ref>. After observing this,, a Covenant AI managed to leak the data out to the rest of the Covenant in a rapid transmission. During the [[First Battle of Earth]], the [[Prophet of Regret]] uses this newfound knowledge to jump while directly over [[New Mombasa]] in [[Earth's | Earth]] gravity well, destroying the city<ref>[[Halo 2]], level [[Metropolis]]</ref>.  


Slipspace travel is dangerous because of the high level of radiation encountered during the trip, which is dangerous to the health of crew. This is negated by the introduction of [[Lead Foil]] to UNSC ships, which absorbs the radiation. It is not known how the Covenant escape this radiation, but it is possible that, with their improved slipspace technology and energy shields, it does not affect them at all.<ref>[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]], page 13.</ref>
Slipspace travel is dangerous because of the high level of radiation encountered during the trip, which is dangerous to the health of crew. This is negated by the introduction of [[Lead Foil]] to UNSC ships, which absorbs the radiation. It is not known how the Covenant escape this radiation, but it is presumable that either they also utilize lead, or with their improved Slipspace technology and energy shields, it does not affect them at all.<ref>[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]], page 13.</ref>
During the beginning of the [[Civil War of the Covenant]] a flood-controlled [[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]] entered Slipspace and exited into [[High Charity]]
During the beginning of the [[Civil War of the Covenant]] a flood-controlled [[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]] entered Slipspace and exited into [[High Charity]]
<ref>[[Halo 2]], level [[Gravemind]]</ref>.
<ref>[[Halo 2]], level [[Gravemind]]</ref>.

Revision as of 18:40, June 26, 2007

File:Slip space enter.jpg
Regret's ship entering slipspace over New Mombasa.

Slipspace, otherwise known as Shaw-Fujikawa Space by the United Nations Space Command, is a collective term for the seven non-visible infinitessimal quantum dimensions.

Introduction

Slipspace travel has been the UNSC's main way of traveling from planet to planet, and star-system to star-system. Before this technology was discovered by Shaw and Fujikawa (the scientists who built the first Slipspace engine) in 2291, mankind was never able to leave their home star system of Sol. Now the UNSC traverses the galaxy in spacecraft to whole new worlds.

Mechanics

This new engine allowed ships to tunnel into "the Slipstream" (also called "Slipspace"). Technically called "Shaw-Fujikawa Space",[1] after the scientists who proved its existence, Slipspace is a domain with alternate physical laws, allowing faster-than-light travel without relativistic side-effects (much like hyperspace from the popular Star Wars movies, though ships travel the shaw/fujikawa space much slower than hyperspace, as a ship in hyperspace could cross in minutes a distance that would take a ship in shaw/fujikawa space months. [2]). Faster-than-light travel is not instantaneous; "short" jumps routinely take up to two months, and "long" jumps can last six months or more, which is why most UNSC ships have cryo chambers.

File:Covenant Assault Carrier FanArt.jpg
A Covenant Assault Carrier opens a slipspace vortex.

Slipspace can be thought of as our Universe (which, technically, it is) but with a greater number of dimensions. Our plane of existence is thought to have four dimensions (up-down, front-back, side-to-side, and time), but Cortana states in Halo: First Strike that Slipspace is an eleven-dimensional spacetime. Slipspace is currently theorised (in 2552) as a "tangle" of our plane's dimensions, rather like taking the classic "flat sheet" used to represent gravity and crumpling it up into a ball, therby creating extra dimensions and shorter spaces between points. As such, the physical laws of our plane (eg. relativity) are accentuated and distorted.

The SFTE (Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine) generates a resonance field, which when coupled with the unusual physics of the Slipstream, allows for dramatically shorter transit times between stars; however, scientists note an odd "flexibility" to temporal flow while inside the Slipstream. Though no human scientist is sure why travel time between stars is not constant, many theorize that there are "eddies" or "currents" within the Slipstream—there is generally a five to ten percent variance in travel times between stars. This temporal inconsistency has given military tacticians and strategists fits, hampering an uncounted number of coordinated attacks. Shaw-Fujikawa engines allow ships to leave normal space and plow through Slipspace. Slipspace drives use particle accelerators to rip apart normal space-time by generating micro black holes. These holes are evaporated via Hawking radiation in a nanosecond. The real quantum mechanical "magic" of the drive lies in how it manipulates these holes in space-time, squeezing vessels weighing thousands of tons into Slipspace.

The Covenant have a very finely tuned version of this technology, far superior to the Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace Drive. Instead of simply tearing a hole into Slipspace, Covenant slipspace drives cut a very fine hole in the fabric space time and slips into Slipspace with precision (much like a scalpel compared to a baseball bat). It exits with the same pinpoint accuracy.

Because the superfine quantum filaments the UNSC use to compute a path are disrupted by gravity[3], they are incapable of transitioning while in a gravitational field. The Covenant's technology, though, is more than capable of computing slipspace paths while in gravitational fields, meaning that they are be able to transition while in a gravity well. Indeed, In Halo: First Strike, while in control of the Ascendant Justice, Cortana when using the advanced Covenant technology to make a Slipspace jump from within the atmosphere of Threshold remarked that 'It was as if she was blind before'[4]. After observing this,, a Covenant AI managed to leak the data out to the rest of the Covenant in a rapid transmission. During the First Battle of Earth, the Prophet of Regret uses this newfound knowledge to jump while directly over New Mombasa in Earth gravity well, destroying the city[5].

Slipspace travel is dangerous because of the high level of radiation encountered during the trip, which is dangerous to the health of crew. This is negated by the introduction of Lead Foil to UNSC ships, which absorbs the radiation. It is not known how the Covenant escape this radiation, but it is presumable that either they also utilize lead, or with their improved Slipspace technology and energy shields, it does not affect them at all.[6] During the beginning of the Civil War of the Covenant a flood-controlled In Amber Clad entered Slipspace and exited into High Charity [7].

Communications

The Forerunner were somehow capable of advanced message carrier waves in slipspace. This way, messages could travel at great speeds throughout their empire. Cortana was able to use this technology to declare codes Bandersnatch and Hydra during The First Battle of Earth and The Battle of Installation 05.

The closest technology the UNSC has been able to create like this is the Slipspace COM Launcher.

References

  1. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 141
  2. ^ An Analysis of Star Wars Propulsion
  3. ^ Halo: First Strike, Page 85
  4. ^ Halo: First Strike, Page 85
  5. ^ Halo 2, level Metropolis
  6. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 13.
  7. ^ Halo 2, level Gravemind
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