The Physics of Space Battles - How Would Authentic Space Combat Work?

[Kharrak]

http://gizmodo.com/5426453/the-physics-of-space-battles

I found this quite an enjoyable read.

[Azraphael]

Nice find. It's great to read an article that is factual, yet doesn't take itself so seriously.

[DukeOFprunes]

One implication of rocket propulsion is that there will be relatively long periods during which Newtonian physics govern the motions of dogfighting spacecraft, punctuated by relatively short periods of maneuvering. Another is that combat in orbit would be very different from combat in "deep space," which is what you probably think of as how space combat should be – where a spacecraft thrusts one way, and then keeps going that way forever. No, around a planet, the tactical advantage in a battle would be determined by orbit dynamics: which ship is in a lower (and faster) orbit than which; who has a circular orbit and who has gone for an ellipse; relative rendezvous trajectories that look like winding spirals rather than straight lines.

I remember playing Elite 2 which, compared to space sims like X-Wing or Privateer or Wing Commander where dogfighting was a close-up brawling match, was boring when it came to space combat.

Your ship would thrust off in a direction and your opponent would be a virtually invisible speck off in the distance. A few minutes later you have a jousting match at several thousands of miles per hour as you pass each other, trading laser blasts and missiles before you're both out of each other's reach and you need to start reversing your direction again. I'd often use the time acceleration feature just to get to a point where I could fire a few extra shots at the other guy again, and as much as it left a bitter taste in my mouth from an entertainment point of view, I could understand that with the vast distances of space and high speeds needed to travel through it, this would probably be what it'd actually be like.

Cool read.

[dislekcia]

Charles Stross.

Writes some of the most physically grounded and entertaining space battles in sci-fi at the moment.