=LSF= Operational Data Network

[The.Rolling.Stoned]

ENCRYPTION: High
PRIORITY: medium
COMM ID: Charles Manson
SUBJECT: Improving Integrity

Improving integrity.

This is agent Charles Manson from the Research, Development & Analysis department and i have been conducting a few research and experiments for improving the resistance of our ships. So here is what its all about.
Over time, a regular pane of damage-resistant glass will be worn away by constant incoming dust particles , not to mention incoming rounds or shrapnel. Transparent aluminum armor, on the other hand, is hardier. It stands up to Direct type class weapon, is less affected by dust and fends off scratches more easily than traditional transparent armor.
With a sense of optimism id like to announce the results of a series of tests conducted on the materia­l. Heating and handling larger sheets of transparent aluminum require a sizable investment in infrastructure. For now, there's enough capacity to create 20-by-30-inch (51-by-76-cm) panes. That's large enough for most Ships side windows but too small for front windshields. However, the cost of using these panes to replace existing glass is prohibitive. The additional costs of outfitting a craft with transparent aluminum armor would, in theory at least, pay for itself over time. The traditional resistant glass, that we use, would have to be replaced several times over, while the more expensive material has a much longer life span. In addition transparent Aluminum Armor is cheaper than sapphire, with which it shares common qualities, such as similar degrees of hardness and clarity. Sapphire is used in many different applications, such as semiconductors and bar code sensors, due to its ruggedness. As more industries switch to transparent aluminum for these needs, the price of production could drop to a point that makes it more feasible to build facilities capable of creating larger pieces.

Ive also conducted research on improving the hull of our ships. What im talking about is ablative armor. This type of armor prevents damage by instead being destroyed itself through the process of ablation. In contemporary spacecraft, ablative plating could be used as an ablative heat shield for a craft that must enter atmosphere from orbit. In my opinion Space colonies and ships of the future will almost certainly require a type of ablative armor to better withstand space radiation and heat. When traveling at higher speeds the momentum of the particles the ships encounter are large, and require more protection. Ablative armour may be layered on top of other armour. If the ablative armor is struck, it is destroyed (after the damage caused by the attack is reduced accordingly). Ablative armor may have additional properties such as added resistance to heat- or laser-based weaponry; if special ablative armor is destroyed, it loses those additional properties. Unlike other types of armor , ablative armor is quite cheap to produce (since it is so easily destroyed).

With all this said I think my resent discoveries could greatly improve the life span of not only our ships but Our Pilots.
Manson Out...