Message posted by Smythers (Member since 01/10/2010) on December 05, 2022 at 13:38:41 PST:
Have a look at those rollout models again, but bear the following in mind. Now, check those photos again. Because... Diffuse Reflections from a surface - Say if our material has a 'rough' uneven surface (in other words, not possessing a micron-level smoothness) a diffuse reflections will occur. (Scattering everywhere with no one angle making precedence to the other) As this surface is rough, each incoming beam of light that falls onto a small particle of the uneven surface will obey the basic law of reflection, BUT as the particles are randomly oriented? A perfect diffusely reflecting surface would in practice reflect light equally in all directions. This results in a dull, matt paint like surface appearance. Now go look at the windows again. They rolled out an unmanned airframe that looks identical to the RQ-180 we seen.
Specular Reflection - If a material surface is microscopically smooth and flat, such as the highest premium sapphire windows on the F-35, the incident and reflected incoming light rays make the same angle, which leads the reflecting surface producing specular reflection. Light incoming, hit, bounces out. We can control the angles and make them RCS compliant.
The reflections will be randomly distributed.
Well played Northrop.
In Reply to: Well played Northrop, well played posted by Smythers on December 04, 2022 at 14:56:00 PST:
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