1. A traversing unit comprising: pivot means for providing at least two degrees of movement about azimuth and elevation axes for traversing operations about said axes including movement over a range of traversing rates during operation of the traversing unit; fluid damper means for respective axes coupled to said pivot means for producing non-linear dampening of said movement about said axes over the range of traversing rates; said damper means comprising annular sections having spaced, opposing annular surfaces defining a gap and disposed for relative movement including one of said sections which is coupled to said pivot means to be movable therewith to produce relative movement at a rate which is a function of said traversing rates; said damper means including a highly viscous fluid disposed in the gap between said sections and engaging the opposing surfaces of the damper to produce shear in said fluid in the range of traverse rates for damping resistance to relative movement, said highly viscous fluid at the desired high viscosity and in the range of traversing rates exhibiting a non-Newtonian characteristic including repeatedly exhibiting a substantial reduction in apparent viscosity in the intermediate and higher traversing rates of the range on each traversing operation exceeding predetermined rates of shear to limit the damping resistance wherein the degree of said reduction in apparent viscosity and limiting of damping resistance is determined by the non-Newtonian characteristic of the fluid at the desired high viscosity thereof, said damper means being constructed and arranged to utilize the substantial reduction in apparent viscosity provided by the non-Newtonian characteristic of the highly viscous fluid in the gap by producing relative movement of said opposing surfaces including relative movement below and above said predetermined shear rates within the range of traversing rates of the traversing unit to produce non-linearity in damping resistance while maintaining a stable area of fluid contact with the opposing annular surfaces of the sections forming the gap for producing a substantial decreasing rate of damping resistance to higher rates of movement producing relative movement of said opposing surfaces above said predetermined shear rates in the upper range of traversing rates in the operation of said unit wherein said fluid is made responsive to relative movement of said annular sections in the range of shear rates to produce shear stresses in the fluid for non-linear damping resistance over the range of traversing rates for damping of movement of said pivot means about said axis as a function of rate of movement so that the resistance to movement is substantially limited to below a predetermined torque applied to said pivot means for facilitating relative movement exceeding a predetermined desired traversing rate in said range while maintaining damping resistance below said predetermined desired traversing rate for substantial damping of movement of the traversing unit in the lower range of operation thereof.

8. A traversing unit having a plurality of non-linear fluid dampers including dampers for azimuth and elevation axes, each of said dampers comprising: damper surfaces disposed in opposing relationship to provide a gap between said surfaces; means for supporting said damper surfaces for relative movement in a predetermined range of operational rates; and a highly viscous fluid disposed in said gap for fully engaging the opposing damper surfaces over the range of operational rates, said fluid having a non-Newtonian characteristic including a non-linear region exhibiting a substantial apparent decrease in viscosity above predetermined shear rates in the range of operation at the high viscosity of the fluid, said dampEr surfaces being disposed and arranged to move in said range of operational rates and in close proximity so that shearing stresses are produced in the fluid causing said substantial apparent decrease in viscosity at higher rates of relative movement in the range of operational rates of the damper, said damper being responsive to relative movement of said damper surfaces to provide a predetermined substantial decrease in rate of increase in damping resistance to said movement at higher operational rates of relative movement of the damper surfaces as a result of a decrease in apparent viscosity of said fluid in the fluid fully engaging the opposing damper durfaces to substantially limit the dampening resistance below a predetermined amount for higher operational rates of movement within said range of operational rates of the damper.

11. The method of providing non-linear damping of movement about transverse axes of a traversing unit over the range of operational rates about the axes of the unit comprising: providing a damper for each axis, each damper having relatively movable spaced surfaces coupled to the unit for damping movement about the respective axis over the range of operational rates for said axis; filling the gap between said spaced surfaces of each damper with a highly viscous fluid selected to provide linear shear resistance of the fluid to relative movement of said surfaces in the low range of shear rates for lower rates of operation of the unit and a substantially lower apparent viscosity at high shear rates for higher rates of operation for substantial limiting of said resistance of the fluid to relative movement above a predetermined desired operational rate for the respective axis.

12. The method of damping movement about azimuth and elevation axes of a traversing unit to provide a non-linear torque-velocity relationship over the range of operation about respective axes comprising the following steps: supporting damper surfaces for each axis in close proximity for relative movement so that a thin gap is provided between opposing surfaces for damping coupling by a damping fluid; providing a highly viscous damping fluid in the gap and maintaining the fluid engaging the substantially predetermined areas of opposing surfaces over the range of operational velocities of relative movement about respective axes; adjusting the thickness of the gap and selecting said damping fluid having a high velocity providing a predetermined desired non-linear torque-velocity characteristic repeatedly saturating on each occurrence of increasing the velocity of relative movement at a predetermined desired intermediate velocity range for substantially limiting the resistance to relative movement at and above said intermediate range of velocities of relative movement about respective axes.

16. A traversing unit having a plurality of damper units for traversing about azimuth and elevation axes, each damper unit consisting of two parts which can be moved relative to each other and having mutually opposing surfaces which define a narrow space containing a damping medium of high viscosity; said damper being characterized by the damping medium having a nonNewtonian frictional resistance in response to shear forces produced in the damping medium in the narrow space such that the resistance impeding relative movement of said two parts reaches a threshold value at higher speeds of relative movement; and wherein the area of mutually opposing surfaces of the damping unit which can be turned relative to each other is considerably larger for the elevation axis than the area of the mutually opposing surfaces of the parts which can be turned in relation to each other of the unit for the azimuth axis.