This one's been niggling at me off and on for years, but it came back today. Regarding
Earth Station McKinley...
PNQ: What's the point of putting massive parts of the station on hinges to "grasp" a starship if the ship isn't actually docked to it?
All I can conclude is that the "fingers" create their own shield bubble to protect the ship inside.
But then you wonder what happened to
Spacedock. At least that facility fully enclosed a number of ships (but don't ask me how Starfleet
built the thing, it's just too big!)
As for the other
single-ship spacedocks (lower-case "s"), at least those facilities could protect
workbees, shuttles, and workers in
EV suits within.
__________________
mudshark: Nate's just being...Nate.
Zeke: It comes
nateurally to him.
mudshark: I don't expect Nate to make sense, really -- it's just a bad idea.
Sa'ar Chasm on the 5M.net forum: Sit back, relax, and revel in the insanity.
Adam Savage: I reject your reality and substitute my own!
Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
Crow T. Robot: Oh, stop pretending there's a plot. Don't cheapen yourself further.