Re: Need Physics Help!

On Wed, 15 Jul 1998, Richard Slattery wrote:

> Taking the 15 minute turn/1,000km per move unit scale, full thrust 
> ships have a puny thrust of a 1/4g to 1/8g per thrust point, so 
> gravity really sucks. <yes! I worked that pun in at last>

I can't agree. I did my campaign with 1 thrust = 1/4g (knowing that MU
and
turn length don't matter) and gravity is a minor irritation at best.

Consider that gravity is inversely related to the square of distance.
Actually ON earth, it's 1g. But few spaceships fight on the ground.

About 6500km out, it's only 1/4g
About 20000km out, it's 1/16g (0.25 thrust)

Geostationary orbit is, IIRC, about 30000km out.  

Moon, as we all know, is about 300 000km out, which on the solar system
scale is still an insignificant distance.

So, gravity is only a factor if you *choose* to fight *very* close to a
planetary body, amidst all the orbiting satellite junk (including weapon
platforms).

If you were moving at constant acceleration of say, 0.5g from Mars to
Venus and happened to pass within 50 000km of Earth, the impact on your
final course is close to a rounding error.

-- 
maxxon@swob.dna.fi (Mikko Kurki-Suonio) 	   | A pig who doesn't
fly
+358 50 5596411 GSM +358 9 80926 78/FAX 81/Voice   | is just an ordinary
pig.
Maininkitie 3C14 02320 ESPOO FINLAND | Hate me?    |	      - Porco
Rosso
http://www.swob.dna.fi/~maxxon/      | hateme.html |