Would thrust vectoring on rear thrusters be enough to navigate in space or would you need an array of thrusters around your ship to maneuver properly?
Basically could a F35 navigate in space assuming the engines would work out of atmosphere?
Would thrust vectoring on rear thrusters be enough to navigate in space or would you need an array of thrusters around...
Aiden Johnson
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Wyatt Brooks
Good thread.
Cooper Moore
Firstly, an engine that works outside of the atmosphere is called a "rocket." Secondly, no it wouldn't work the way you would want it to because it would only impart rotation on the craft. Thrust vectoring works on jet fighters in the atmosphere because they have control surfaces that keep the craft straight as they move through the air. If you fired a thrust vectored rocket in space, you would just start spinning until you offset the rotation with an equal force in the opposite vector of spin
Oliver Diaz
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Aaron Williams
As long as the thrust vector is still through the center of mass, then the rocket won't spin out of control. Most rocket engines have a form of an engine gimbal but is limited to like 15 degrees.
Logan Stewart
Thrust vectoring on a rocket is referred to as gimballing, and is a thing. It's main use is to provide stability during first stage ascent.
In space you could certainly do all your minor course corrections and attitude adjustments by gimbaling the main engine and letting off small burns, but it wouldn't be efficient.
Spacecraft generally use RCS, Reaction Control Systems. They consist of small nozzles that let off small bursts of thrust (usually monopropellent or compressed gas). Since there isn't any atmosphere in space, and amount of thrust will eventually turn the spacecraft in the direction you need it pointed. RCS nozzles are therefore always good enough. Gimbaling the main engine would just be overkill.
William Murphy
Independent thusters would be more controllable and precise because output wouldn't need to be reliant on a single thruster that would take time to switch directions. It is certainly possible but unless you have some sort of mass or dimension constraint, multiple thrusters would be better. The F-35 with magic engines would be able to maneuver, but it would have to be slow and careful movement compared to atmospheric flight.
Wyatt Gutierrez
Ok this is more of what I was wondering, whether you would want a spread out system of thrusters or a dedicated powerhouse that can direct its thrust all over. IIRC jet nozzles can go up to 90°
Joseph Price
>Firstly, an engine that works outside of the atmosphere is called a "rocket."
Incorrect.
Rockets are engines that expel carried matter through a nozzle to generate thrust in a single axial direction.
Nuclear pulse drives are arguably not rockets as the impulse is generated outside the engine.
>Secondly, no it wouldn't work the way you would want it to because it would only impart rotation on the craft.
Assuming the vectoring system has an even deflection angle through all 360 degrees, any rotational effect can be countered by vectoring the thrust in the opposite direction.
>Thrust vectoring works on jet fighters in the atmosphere because they have control surfaces that keep the craft straight as they move through the air.
Thrust vectoring on modern fight craft is used to increase the control response and stability of the aircraft without increasing the control surface size. The only thing close to what you described is the utterly combat ineffective cobra maneuver.
Andrew Jenkins
>Firstly, an engine that works outside of the atmosphere is called a "rocket."
Thanks for putting something stupid at the start of your thread so i know how to treat the rest of it.
>Thrust vectoring works on jet fighters in the atmosphere because they have control surfaces that keep the craft straight as they move through the air.
No they work because they provide thrust off axis.
>If you fired a thrust vectored rocket in space, you would just start spinning until you offset the rotation with an equal force in the opposite vector of spin
you would use the thrust vectoring to rotate around your centre of gravity to point in the desired direction, you would then thrust through your centre of gravity in the direction you want.
Having control thrusters makes this job easier though since you dont have to fire your main engine in order to change direction.
Spacecraft already have thrust vectoring OP, they just call it gimbal.