Okay, so I know that we have satalites that can see beneath the earth's surface, but is there something else I have to worry about when my character is making an underground chamber secret from even the government?
-
This forum is specifically for the discussion of factual science and technology. When the topic moves to speculation, then it needs to also move to the parent forum, Science Fiction and Fantasy (SF/F).
If the topic of a discussion becomes political, even remotely so, then it immediately does no longer belong here. Failure to comply with these simple and reasonable guidelines will result in one of the following.
- the thread will be moved to the appropriate forum
- the thread will be closed to further posts.
- the thread will remain, but the posts that deviate from the topic will be relocated or deleted.
Thank you for understanding.
as seen from outerspace
- Thread starter kathrynroberts
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 28,750
- Reaction score
- 2,934
- Location
- right here
- Website
- www.veinglory.com
I suppose your character could make two chambers, and be careless about hiding one while occupying the other. It isn't often people continue looking for something once they've found it. 
Pthom has a good point. If it looks like something else, then it'll get passed over. Like a railway station. However, it has to have a good reason for being there. An abandoned rail tunnel/junction in the middle of the desert would get all kinds of attention.
Also, regarding said satellites, 'seeing beneath Earth's surface' is a little misleading. They can tell where hollow spaces are, or at least low-density areas. They won't get a photo of your villain in his pink bunny slippers.
Also, regarding said satellites, 'seeing beneath Earth's surface' is a little misleading. They can tell where hollow spaces are, or at least low-density areas. They won't get a photo of your villain in his pink bunny slippers.
Pthom has a good point. If it looks like something else, then it'll get passed over. Like a railway station. However, it has to have a good reason for being there. An abandoned rail tunnel/junction in the middle of the desert would get all kinds of attention.
Also, regarding said satellites, 'seeing beneath Earth's surface' is a little misleading. They can tell where hollow spaces are, or at least low-density areas. They won't get a photo of your villain in his pink bunny slippers.
I was actually thinking of making it look like an old mine shaft and then having other strange, but abandoned chambers after that. The main area would be even further beneath that. Does that help?
Well, only you can really say if that will do the trick or not. It depends on the circumstances you've set up in your story. If your villain isn't 'on the radar' and no one has a reason to look for him in that particular place, then sure. If your guy is being actively hunted, they know he uses an underground lair, and they've got reason to suspect that the lair is in a particular region, then a smart investigator is going to start digging around for records on places like abandoned mines and charted caves.
It really depends entirely on your story's needs.
It really depends entirely on your story's needs.
As blacbird suggests, current satellite scanning technology can only "see" differences in density below the surface. It's how they found the spice road, Mayan temples, etc.
The satellite could "see" your caverns, and potentially "see" those vacant spaces behind what looked like solid rock walls to a ground observer. But then, you don't need satellites to do that.
I really don't know much about how deep scanning radar works--just that it does--so I can't tell you if there are ways to thwart it. But it seems to me that since it detects densities, you might get away by locating your lair beneath a chamber that was readily visible (and even well known) and shielding it with something very dense (like lead, maybe) that would cancel out the void beneath. But it occurs to me that the lead might give off its own signature regardless of whether there's a void below it.
I suggest you pose your problem in the Ask the Expert forum here in the water cooler. Chances are better than even that someone here has direct experience with the technology.
The satellite could "see" your caverns, and potentially "see" those vacant spaces behind what looked like solid rock walls to a ground observer. But then, you don't need satellites to do that.
I really don't know much about how deep scanning radar works--just that it does--so I can't tell you if there are ways to thwart it. But it seems to me that since it detects densities, you might get away by locating your lair beneath a chamber that was readily visible (and even well known) and shielding it with something very dense (like lead, maybe) that would cancel out the void beneath. But it occurs to me that the lead might give off its own signature regardless of whether there's a void below it.
I suggest you pose your problem in the Ask the Expert forum here in the water cooler. Chances are better than even that someone here has direct experience with the technology.
Cool. Thanks for the advice. The story I am writing is set in the real world and I am only interested (for now) in hiding this place FROM the real world.
SAR Document, about Synthetic aperture radar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
About Shuttle Imaging Radar A:
Science: The Sahara's Buried Rivers - TIME
So this is what kathrynroberts may have come across.
So unless kathrynroberts's character will be digging through very dry sand, her character should be safe.
About Shuttle Imaging Radar A:
20 years of Shuttle Imaging Radar - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Science: The Sahara's Buried Rivers - TIME
So this is what kathrynroberts may have come across.
So unless kathrynroberts's character will be digging through very dry sand, her character should be safe.