Comment on Lets talk about physics of the speed of spaceship
KiranWells@pawb.social 1 year ago
I think the behavior could actually make sense with real physics, as the vehicle might be designed to mimic what the driver expects rather than real physics. For example, my car often shuts off the engine when I am not accelerating because it is a hybrid. So, if I don’t press the gas pedal, it wouldn’t really make sense for it to move. However, it is designed to artificially engage the engine when none of the pedals are pressed to more closely mimic the behavior of non-hybrid cars.
If most pilots are used to the behavior if a vehicle in atmosphere, a space ship might be designed to mimic that behavior (through weak reverse thrusters or something else) to make it easier for pilots to get used to.
Eheran@lemmy.world 1 year ago
That does not make sense. Breaking in space costs as much fuel as accelerating.
stankmut@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Starship designers assumed that you want to slow down when you let off the throttle, much like today’s One Pedal mode in electric cars. Otherwise you would’ve engaged cruise control if you wanted to keep the same speed.
KiranWells@pawb.social 1 year ago
Exactly; the idea is familiarity, not efficiency. To be fair, this argument doesn’t make sense for all situations, so it is possible I misunderstood what the original post was talking about specifically.