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but knows he is accelerating because his fuel gauge is decreasing.
Most rockets are not designed or piloted by fools.
Quote from: alancalverd on 24/11/2021 19:04:50Most rockets are not designed or piloted by fools.Does the definition of a fool mean someone who thinks the fuel gauge is an accelerometer?
The definition of a fool is someone who doesn't understand newtonian physics. If you are burning fuel, you must be producing thrust, so you must be accelerating
Inwards. You used to place great store by the conservation of momentum. What changed?
Stop blethering.The fuel gauge still does not tell you if your ship is accelerating, does it?
Come to think of it, even if you are just leaking raw fuel into the cosmos, Newton still says you must be accelerating.
I can't think of any propulsion system that doesn't consume fuel of some sort, and conserve momentum.
Laser propulsion is a form of beam-powered propulsion where the energy source is a remote (usually ground-based) laser system and separate from the reaction mass. This form of propulsion differs from a conventional chemical rocket where both energy and reaction mass come from the solid or liquid propellants carried on board the vehicle.
What do you mean by conserving momentum? Doesn't it mean that it doesn't accelerate?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_propulsionQuoteLaser propulsion is a form of beam-powered propulsion where the energy source is a remote (usually ground-based) laser system and separate from the reaction mass. This form of propulsion differs from a conventional chemical rocket where both energy and reaction mass come from the solid or liquid propellants carried on board the vehicle.
Quote from: Bored chemist on 27/11/2021 13:58:42Stop blethering.The fuel gauge still does not tell you if your ship is accelerating, does it?If it is burning fuel and the laws of physics haven't changed, it must be accelerating. You need to look at the gauge twice, of course, to see if the number has changed, and you need to check the exhaust temperature so that you know whether you are burning fuel in the motor or just leaking it to the cosmos, but that is all part of the umpteen years of training in rocket science that astronauts tend to do while they are waiting to fly. And of course you need to check that your rocket wasn't built by an idiot, like with an engine at each end, but you should have done that before pressing the start button. Come to think of it, even if you are just leaking raw fuel into the cosmos, Newton still says you must be accelerating.
And of course you need to check that your rocket wasn't built by an idiot, like with an engine at each end, but you should have done that before pressing the start button.