Gateway into space?

[Telok]

Okay, this little piece of simple physics hit me like a brick wall the other day.

 

Consider the fact that RJ is very good with obeying physical laws and general rules of common sense in his universe. In his web blogs, RJ has also specifically stated that, opening gateways across stellar distances is possible (if far beyond the knowledge of our 3rd age heroes).

 

So my question for everyone to discuss is this:

 

What would happen if you open a gateway into space? As far as we've been told about gateways, they're literally holes in the air which link two spaces together. The only barrier we've heard of yet on gateways is whatever prevents shadowspawn and/or artificial constructs (like Nym, mabye?) from crossing them.

 

If there is no atmospheric barrier at all, then it would mean by the laws of physics that if you opened a gateway into space, all the pressure of the Earth's atmosphere at that level would blow air (and anything else around) into the vacuum. This would have been quite a weapon in the War of Power. Why spend all that energy moving gateways (Deathgates) around killing shadowspawn when you can just blow them into space.

 

Obviously the insanely dangerous potential for something like this might even make it a sort of forbidden weapon, like baelfire. What would happen if you made a gateway large enough so that small material couldn't clog it, and you tied off the weave? Could the entire atmosphere be blown into space, eventually? Sounds about as nasty in some ways as the temporal paradoxes caused by baelfire.

 

Anyway, food for thought. It'd sure be nice if someone were to actually get an answer about this from Jordan. It seems like an obvious plot mechanic which could be used, unless there were some rule preventing it.

[SinisterDeath]

Well it all depends on the exact physics of the gateway.

Does wind actually travel through a gateway once opened? It might, I don't know.

 

Now Stargate SG:1 actually has a reason why when they go to planets/space why all there atmosphere doesnt get sucked out. There 'gateways' or 'wormholes' which is infact a 'gateway', has a built in safety feature you could call it, that prevents one atmosphere in one area, effecting the atmostphere of another. Escentially the gate on one end, prevents the gate on the others from coming through and vice versa. And the only thing that can go through it, is something with more force then the sorrounding atmosphere. *it componsates for the atmosphere, so theoretically, if you were to push with the same force as the atmosphere, you wouldn't get through it.*

 

Now if in WoT, if the the wind/breeze/weather can go through a gateway, that would mean your theory about an ultimate weapon could possibly work.. But it all depends if that weave inately compinsates for atmosphere, and if it can be taken out, if it does.

Of course, randlanders wouldn't know space exists, so thats pretty much out of the question. Though, they could make it, say 2 miles in the sky, and get an effect pretty much the same, with out destroying our atmosphere.

[Natael]

While what SinisterDeath says about the higher atmosphere part is true. The idea of a "hole in the air" not alowing air pass is nothing short of ridiculus. I doubt very highly that it would not let air through. It does allow light and such. As for the Stargate reference, that's actually quite different. The stargate is a wormhole, which are still only theoreticall by the way. To access a wormhole it would have to be through a "hole" so to speak. It is highly unlikely that such a hole could be opened hear on earth. What with gravity affecting all equations and such. Anyway back to the topic on hand, yes a gateway used in such a way would be a formidibale weapon. A weapon along the same lines as a double-edged sword. This particular "sword" would kill the user as well as those whom the weapon is directed to. Amongst my studying in my younger days I came across a picture that dipicted land, including grass and trees, being sucked into space. It was really quite disturbing. I remember having a nightmare once about it. It wasn't the picture itself that was so frightening, it was the passage that went with it. The picture was supposed to discribe what would happen if such a hole opened this close to a landmass (i.e. a planet). A mini-blackhole if you will. Or rather the equivelent to it in terms of earthly norms. Yes the destructive power of such a weapon is staggering.

Now that I think about it I seem to recall it being mentioned that there where many worlds and while some of them were being described there was mention of some worlds without air. I think it was the Great Hunt, I'm not sure. I plan on rereading the series again anyway so I guess I'll find out. But if a gateway was made to such a world then that would achieve the same thing and is quite possible that it might have happened some time in the past, while the aes'sedai in the age of legends were developing the world gateways. There's no telling for sure. However, if such a thing did happen it would lead to the idea of "off limits!". If, that is, someone witenessed it and survived the vacuum.

*sighs*

geeze i haven't sounded like a stuffy professor like that since high school. Kinda makes me look like a real jerk. Glad i've lightened up since then. Sorry if i sound like a complete duche. I'm not, I swear!

I just love science, physics is my second favourite. Marine biology being my first. So i did a lot of reading random books i found. Some of them where texts books and i just go into "super-nerd" mode when i'm faced with such a conundrum. My bad!