Re: Ship atmospheres and canon material

No, dudes, I don't think so. Yes, this is a council decision. But no, the
helm does not magically retain atmosphere. Gravity retains atmosphere. On
entering an airless world, the ship's air will either be 'stolen' by the
rocky ball, or be retained by the previous "wet rock" theory. The boxed set
clearly teaches that atmosheres mix on contact. (It's a scientific principle
called diffusion.) The atmosphere would probably be completely stolen
instantly; under SJ rules, everything has gravity, and everything with
gravity will retain atmosphere when exposed to air. The airless worlds just
haven't had that crucial exposure; and what makes one assume the world's
gravity is weaker than the ship's? A ship can instantly refresh its
atmospheric envelope in a larger atmosphere. The two atmospheres mix, and
the ship takes as much air as it can when it leaves.
The novels directly contradict the boxed set there, and I quote; "the helm
does not create this atmosphere. It only maintains it." Ships should just
steer clear of air-deprived worlds, or carry crowns of the void, anything to
breathe.

George LaValle
well, we could try it and find out...
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