So, ODPs are powered by ground-based generators called ODGs, right?
My question is, how does the power generated by them make it’s way up to them? Is it somehow “beamed” to them, or do they just have huge, invisible wires that hang from the ODPs?!
Thanks in advance.
They would probably have transmitters of some sort. In the 26th Century, they might not need massive satellite dishes. Just small antennae.
saved for answer
that was in one of the books, be right back…
It is probably some form of Microwave transmission of energy. We can rule out cables because they would pull the stations down with their weight; the cables would also need to be really thick to handle the power requirements of a SMAC, which would make them really drag on the station. So the stations would need to be constantly firing large engines to counter that. It does not sound very practical.
Though it does not quite fit for microwave transmission either. You would need very large receiving dishes to catch the signal. However we do not see any of those on Earth’s ODPs. Perhaps they found a way around this issue, or that there is some magic slipspace transmissions going on. Or that Reach’s ODPs did have the dishes, but Earth’s did not and had their own on-board Nuclear Reactor to power them. It might make sense too, given how Reach’s guns fell to the Covenant.
> saved for answer
>
> that was in one of the books, be right back…
From Halowiki;
"It is unknown exactly how the generators’ power is transmitted to the orbiting stations. "
So if it is in a book, the people in charge of Halowiki are slackin. 
Maybe the generators aren’t batteries, but are in fact something that generates the matter or energy that the platforms’ batteries then absorb? Perhaps they’ve figured out solar energy, but only if they filter photons through a machine that… I dunno, does something to concentrate them or something else that a physicist can prove isn’t possible? Then the platform’s panels soak up the fancy scienced-up light rays.
Utter conjecture. Imaginative, no? I’d like to think it’s at least that. But no, no real answer has been given. Methinks Eric Nylund was going for a flip of the Death Star II situation, but he couldn’t make them shield generators since that isn’t human tech. Also conjecture. I’m just full of conjecture.
SCIENCE!
> It is probably some form of Microwave transmission of energy. We can rule out cables because they would pull the stations down with their weight; the cables would also need to be really thick to handle the power requirements of a SMAC, which would make them really drag on the station. So the stations would need to be constantly firing large engines to counter that. It does not sound very practical.
>
> Though it does not quite fit for microwave transmission either. You would need very large receiving dishes to catch the signal. However we do not see any of those on Earth’s ODPs. Perhaps they found a way around this issue, or that there is some magic slipspace transmissions going on. Or that Reach’s ODPs did have the dishes, but Earth’s did not and had their own on-board Nuclear Reactor to power them. It might make sense too, given how Reach’s guns fell to the Covenant.
I knew it wasn’t going to be wires… that was just sarcasm. Besides, how could they make invisible wires?
thinks
Active Camo generator? Oh God, as long as it’s not like Reach’s Active Camo!
(Also joking ^^)
> I knew it wasn’t going to be wires… that was just sarcasm. Besides, how could they make invisible wires?
>
> thinks
>
> Active Camo generator? Oh God, as long as it’s not like Reach’s Active Camo!
>
> (Also joking ^^)
Perhaps coating them in some sort of meta material. (Link)
It is funny, because we already have the ability to render something invisible on some EM frequencies and are close to achieving it for light, yet the UNSC 500 years from now ain’t got a clue how to do it.
Actually transferring energy through frequencies has been researched IRL, and in fact it has been proven possible, energy was transferred over the distances of a centimeter in a lab.
Grant you, I cannot provide the link, but have read this somewhere either on Science News or heard this from Michio Kaku.
> SCIENCE!
> > I knew it wasn’t going to be wires… that was just sarcasm. Besides, how could they make invisible wires?
> >
> > thinks
> >
> > Active Camo generator? Oh God, as long as it’s not like Reach’s Active Camo!
> >
> > (Also joking ^^)
>
> Perhaps coating them in some sort of meta material. (Link)
>
> It is funny, because we already have the ability to render something invisible on some EM frequencies and are close to achieving it for light, yet the UNSC 500 years from now ain’t got a clue how to do it.
I prefer to think that the upgrade allows the armor to change its color scheme and such to match the environment because true invisibility would be no light hitting you, or your eyes which would mean you would be a blind -Yoink- stumbling around into everyone. I think it could have been implemented better if you went prone or went against a wall when you used it, taking on the appearance of your environment.
> Actually transferring energy through frequencies has been researched IRL, and in fact it has been proven possible, energy was transferred over the distances of a centimeter in a lab.
>
> Grant you, I cannot provide the link, but have read this somewhere either on Science News or heard this from Michio Kaku.
Hmm… seems legit. Thanks 
> Actually transferring energy through frequencies has been researched IRL, and in fact it has been proven possible, energy was transferred over the distances of a centimeter in a lab.
>
> Grant you, I cannot provide the link, but have read this somewhere either on Science News or heard this from Michio Kaku.
Hmm… seems legit. Thanks
Magic?
Just kidding, but yeah, as said before… its probably microwave transmitted or something.
> > > I knew it wasn’t going to be wires… that was just sarcasm. Besides, how could they make invisible wires?
> > >
> > > thinks
> > >
> > > Active Camo generator? Oh God, as long as it’s not like Reach’s Active Camo!
> > >
> > > (Also joking ^^)
> >
> > Perhaps coating them in some sort of meta material. (Link)
> >
> > It is funny, because we already have the ability to render something invisible on some EM frequencies and are close to achieving it for light, yet the UNSC 500 years from now ain’t got a clue how to do it.
>
> I prefer to think that the upgrade allows the armor to change its color scheme and such to match the environment because true invisibility would be no light hitting you, or your eyes which would mean you would be a blind Yoink! stumbling around into everyone. I think it could have been implemented better if you went prone or went against a wall when you used it, taking on the appearance of your environment.
Yeah, that is one issue. You essentially isolate yourself from your surroundings, visually speaking. One way around that, I think, could be to allow a tiny percentage of the light through the visor region of your armour, but allow the vast majority to pass around. You could then use a CCD to pick up the light that passes through and then amplify that signal so that you can see something. Although because the visor is allowing some light to pass through, it would mean that if you looked hard enough you could see it depending on how much it is absorbing. It would not be a very good quality image either that you would see I do not think, but it could get you through.
Or, the armour could be coated in some sort of meta material, but the visor itself fully absorbs light but changes its own colour to match the background and blend in? Hmm. Combining the two methods could feasibly get quite close to active camouflage whilst maintaining full visibility.
I like to beleive that the energy is sent to the cannons in waves. Who knows, in that time it could be possible.