Subject:
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Re: Theoretical Question: Missile Design
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.space
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Date:
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Tue, 12 Aug 2003 10:44:27 GMT
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Viewed:
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532 times
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i’ve got one big missile and several smaller ones that feature fins. fins,
of course, help control direction in an atmosphere. but would they be useful
in space?
i ask because on my fighters i often use “wings” which i call stabilizers.
The idea is that having engines farther away from the central axis would make
the fighter more maneuverable and stable. “wings” also work well in mounting
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Placing the engines far from the central axis wouldn’t do anything, but placing
them far from the center of mass would give them some mechanical advantage.
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i guess popular scifi is so filled with aerodynamic designs in spacecraft,
that we tend to want to view our space creations along the same line: in
aerodynamic forms. i like to try to break out of that preconception, but
what would something look like then?
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i’m guessing a space missile would retain a circular/cylindrical design,
because it maximizes internal volume, thus allowing for more explosive. maybe
something like the giant pills of ST:TNG photon torpedos.
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As others have said, a sphere would be the ideal, though in practice probably
impractical to build. One could just fire cubes, but thermonuclear explosives
are due to design often longer than they are wide, making a cylinder the
likeliest shape to maximize volume efficiency. One will also need sensors and a
propulsion system, which will usually always be mounted on the longitudinal
axis, thus making it more efficient to use a cylindrical missile design.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Theoretical Question: Missile Design
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| (...) Placing the thrusters far from center of mass makes it easier to introduce angluar momentum into the system; i.e., the missile cartwheels out of control. Ideally, center of mass and point of thrust would be same point. James Wilson Dallas, TX (21 years ago, 31-Aug-03, to lugnet.space, FTX)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Theoretical Question: Missile Design
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| Theoretically speaking, or is it hypothetically, what would an ideal space missile look like? concerning my picture here: (URL) i've got one big missile and several smaller ones that feature fins. fins, of course, help control direction in an (...) (21 years ago, 6-Jun-03, to lugnet.space, FTX)
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