[ [b]DISCLAIMER [/b]] I am not a physicist. There's a reason we aren't going around shooting aliens and flying spaceships: it's not possible yet. This series is meant for entertainment only, and I have taken some literary freedoms where I deemed necessary. Content on this page is not final. I am open to civilised discussion, and am more than happy to correct my mistakes. I will also answer questions to the best of my knowledge. [ END OF DISCLAIMER ] * * * [b]On Jumps : Part 1 - An Introduction[/b] Jump // [i]verb[/i] - (of a person) move suddenly and quickly in a specified way. In fact, jumping is an amalgam of multiple factors. First of all, let's look at the mechanics of basic jumps. [b]1. On fuel[/b] As a Hunter, for example, the theoretical added mobility of a second jump vastly outweighs the other options. However, simply guessing what makes it possible does not produce satisfactory results. And yet, it's all we have, besides Space Magic. I reckon that a Hunter's Double Jumps rely on some form of enriched compressed gas to power them. I have three strong reasons to believe this gas to be hydrogen: Firstly, hydrogen is explosive. Additionaly, pure hydrogen-oxygen mixtures are highly flammable, and are mostly invisible to the naked eye (unless the mix is impure) - they practically only emit ultraviolet radiation [1]. Secondly, oxyhydrogen will combust when ignited by a very low energy spark - one-tenth of the energy input required for igniting a gasoline-air mixture suffices to ignite an oxyhydrogen one [1]. Finally, in [2], Everett and Ulam propose an explosive propulsion method utilizing hydrogen as fuel. A method of electromagnetically shielding the projectile is also suggested - this magnetic field would reflect the ionized atoms of the hot propellant gas before they reach the Hunter, avoiding heating, and additionally granting a factor of momentum transfer. See also video linked in [3] for a demonstration of the system's stability. As fuel, hydrogen burns cleanly, and can be produced by means of simple electrolysis of water. Oxygen as a byproduct of this process can be re-routed and used as a comburent. This is important because the Double Jump must be refueled on the field without the Guardian's assistance. Present day electrolytes grant the electrolysis process efficiencies of up to 90% [4], so it's entirely possible that similar methods to obtain personal quantities of hydrogen from water would be developed in the future. As such, it might not be such a wild guess that Hunters use oxyhydrogen combustion just below their feet to allow them to be propelled, along with an electromagnetic shield providing a platform to stand on for a split second. While nuclear power has significantly higher specific impulse, it's not unlikely that the equations shown in [2] would work for less energetic payloads. With this in mind, it's rather logical to assume that the other classes utilize hydrogen as well, albeit a bit differently. Titans in particular, due to their increased mass, may favor hydrogen peroxide as a propellant for their Lift. A Titan's Lift comes more as a necessity, since the Hunter's Double Jump requires agility they can't afford in approximately 80:20 armor, while the Warlock's precise and controlled Glide does not feature enough impulse for such mass. When in contact with a catalyst such as silver, hydrogen peroxide decomposes into superheated steam that when fed to a jet nozzle can produce thrust. Granted, the air time of this setup is quite limited, and yet so is the Titan's Lift. We must then consider how hydrogen peroxide can be obtained in the field. It's safe to assume methods have been developed that allow hydrogen and oxigen to be reacted on-site to produce hydrogen peroxide. Direct synthesis methods may rely on impeding hydrogenation prior to reaction - that is, preventing the hydrogen peroxide from turning into water. Several proposals exist, but a particularly interesting one is presented in [5]. It describes the use of acid-treated carbon supports for the gold-palladium alloy catalysts used in the reaction. This modification "switches off" the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, resulting in high-yields that are industrially and commercially competitive. Granted that fuel can be obtained on-site in a timely manner in the desired purity, volume and concentration, it's fairly logical to assume this is the standard method for fueling jumps. The Hunter's and Titan's are described above. The Warlock's Glide may be an alternate version of the Titan's Lift. In the absence of jet nozzles, it makes sense that a Warlock could trivially control propellant output using electromagnetic fields. This method features more precise and intuitive control at the cost of thrust - which is a non-issue given the Warlock's lower mass. The slower progression of Glide also suggests that the Warlock is capable of manipulating thrust in multiple directions simultaneously. Examples include moving in a straight line by applying upwards and frontwards thrust. It's also debatable whether or not Warlocks employ other kinds of anti-gravity devices for traversal assistance [6]. While this sounds simple, it requires very minute adjustments at each instant due to the fact that the human body is not adapted for flight. Conversely, Lift's directionality can be controlled using the lower part of the body to assist in thrust vector control, provided the Lift engine is able to - at least minimally - regulate differential output. This is why Warlocks can Glide downwards, for example. [i]Sources:[/i] [1] [url=https://www.grc.nasa.gov/smad-ext/wp-content/uploads/sites/82/chapter_06.pdf]SAFETY STANDARD FOR HYDROGEN AND HYDROGEN SYSTEMS (5/24/2016). NASA - Glenn Research Center[/url] [2] [url=http://permalink.lanl.gov/object/tr?what=info:lanl-repo/lareport/LA-01955-MS]ON A METHOD OF PROPULSION OF PROJECTILES BY MEANS OF EXTERNAL NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS (Part I) (Written August 1955 / Declassified 6-1-95). C. J. Everett and S. M. Ulam - Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory of the University of California[/url] [3] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRp3S8OOeZc&feature=youtu.be]Video: 'Project Orion: "To Mars by A-Bomb" RARE Footage'[/url] [4] [url=http://tiny.cc/yag2by]Hydrogen Energy Storage: New Techno-Economic Emergence Solution Analysis. M. Becherifa, H. S. Ramadan, K. Cabaret, F. Picard, N. Simoncini, O. Bethoux. TMREES15[/url] [5] [url=http://www.nist.gov/customcf/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=900869]Switching Off Hydrogen Peroxide Hydrogenation in the Direct Synthesis Process. Jennifer K. Edwards, Benjamin Solsona, Edwin Ntainjua N, Albert F. Carley, Andrew A. Herzing, Christopher J. Kiely, Graham J. Hutchings. NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology [/url] [6] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Grimoire/2/4611686018430964976/Guardian/MovementModes?_unlocked=False]Guardian // Movement Modes (Grimoire). Bungie.net[/url] * * * Stay tuned for part two where I will discuss Blink! [spoiler]Moderator edit: This thread has been moved to the #Destiny forum. See [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/140391030/0/0]Cozmo's thread[/url] for more information about the #Destiny tag and its uses. Feel free to private message the moderator who moved your post, link to topic, for further clarification about why this topic was moved.[/spoiler]