How do missiles work in space?

[Noogillim]

How do missiles work in space?

We have all seen them, they all appear to have a single booster and fins.

Exactly like traditional atmospheric missiles, that use the fins for steering.

So will missiles be like mini exploding spacecraft?

IE Main forward propelling booster with steering boosters? I would imagine control for these actually hitting a target would be a difficult balancing act!

Would it be all thrusters leaving little room for payload?

Answers on a postcard to...................

 

[JKF]

Would think missiles just have a single thruster mounted on a gimbal. You could argue that the fins are for use when a missile is used planet side.

 

[Cthulhus]

Yep, like on the real word...

A gimbal... and maybe some with RCS maneuver (Remote Control System) like it was on the US Space Shuttle. The RCS should be added on the top of the missile... That allow a better /faster attitude adjustment during the last seconds.

 

[Laton]

We could have a split between different types of weapons. Energy weapons (lasers, plasma, etc) you'd worry about overheat and Kinetic weapons with various kinds of warhead be it conventional, EMP, Nuclear, Antimatter, which you'd have single use of.

The shape of the missile wouldn't matter, unless it was fired inside an atmosphere. They could just be cuboid for easy storage.

I think in HHGTTG there was some mention of how misslies were illegal in space, as once they were fired they'd fly infinitely until they hit something even if it were light years away.

 

[bent]

I think in HHGTTG there was some mention of how misslies were illegal in space, as once they were fired they'd fly infinitely until they hit something even if it were light years away.

Space missiles will probably be rigged to self destruct based on a timer to avoid the problem of live munitions clogging up orbits etc.

 

[Laton]

depending on the scruples of the launching captain

 

[JKF]

Space missiles will probably be rigged to self destruct based on a timer to avoid the problem of live munitions clogging up orbits etc.

Or they could just be an extra hazard to avoid in anarchy systems

Perhaps even collectible with a cargo scoop and some careful manoeuvring. You might even come across a rare doomsday missile, planet destroyer, or even a super nova missile.

How about threatening a whole system by blowing up it's star and watching the planets drift off in to deep space.

 

[bent]

depending on the scruples of the launching captain

"It's not a missile it's a self-propelled mine."

 

[Slopey]

RCS maneuver (Remote Control System) like it was on the US Space Shuttle. The RCS should be added on the top of the missile... That allow a better /faster attitude adjustment during the last seconds.

"Reaction" control system BTW. You'd mount the RCS thrusters at appropriate points to give you movement in all the relevant axis - not just on the top. They'd likely just be small holes in the missile casing anyway, so you'd likely not see them visually.

And there's no reason that missiles should be missile shaped in space, aside from aesthetics, unless they're dual use for in atmo.

 

[Nicodemus]

"Sir Isaac Newton is the deadliest son of a in space"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLpgxry542M

 

[Cthulhus]

"Reaction" control system BTW. You'd mount the RCS thrusters at appropriate points to give you movement in all the relevant axis - not just on the top. They'd likely just be small holes in the missile casing anyway, so you'd likely not see them visually.

And there's no reason that missiles should be missile shaped in space, aside from aesthetics, unless they're dual use for in atmo.

Oups, yes "Reaction" sorry

 

[Jays]

Gyroscopes will work also, they are generally used for stablisation but the same effect could provide stearing.

 

[Stachel]

Wasn't there some fluff in the original manual about how non guided missiles were banned or something due to newtonian physics?

 

[Cthulhus]

Id like to see some "real" word space systems on ED...

Like for example, to know its correct position, the real Space Shuttle used a system called : Star Traker.

To be able to go from A to B, you must know where you are... The Space Shuttle used two systems : The Star Tracker and the Ku Band Antenna (for tracking ISS, Satellites...)

If the system is damaged, you don't know where you are ! And that should be great to have this kind of failure on the game.

 

[Brian]

I would like to see missiles with RCS boosters puffing out clouds of gas every time they have to make a course correction, it would make the movement and trails very interesting.

Brian

 

[aXeL]

Howabout many different types e.g.:

High Ex, EM, fragmentation, ballistic, homing, guided, multi-warhead, smokeless, missiles that do interesting things on detonation like kick you into hyperspace or cover you windows in 'gloop' forcing you to fly on instruments, tag missiles enabling an attacker to take over the targets FCS etc... Lots of scope here to make missile combat interesting...

 

[Abysinth]

How do missiles work in space?
Exactly like traditional atmospheric missiles, that use the fins for steering.

I assumed that the main thrust was vectored to the tips of the fins to provide steering, a little like the engines on the tips of the 'wings' on a Star Fury.

I think in HHGTTG there was some mention of how misslies were illegal in space, as once they were fired they'd fly infinitely until they hit something even if it were light years away.

Unless the payload was also used as propellant. That way, the further away the target the less damage it would do; then, once it ran out of fuel it would be no more dangerous that an asteroid.

 

[davidsev]

I think you're forgetting how big space is.

The odds of it hitting anything within the solar system is extremely low, unless it gets sucked into a planet / star in which case it'd burn up. Once it's out of the system, it may as well not exist.

 

[Nicodemus]

Unless the payload was also used as propellant. That way, the further away the target the less damage it would do; then, once it ran out of fuel it would be no more dangerous that an asteroid.

Depends if the asteroid is moving at speed or not. If it's not moving it won't do a lot of damage unless you collide with it. If it's moving at speed it'll cause a lot of damage. Popular theory is that a moving asteroid is what helped wipe out the dinosaurs.

If you accelerate a missile it'll keep going until it hits something, even if the warhead is inactive the impact alone will cause a lot of damage. The trouble is, the missile may not ruin your day, but it is pretty likely to ruin someone else's at sometime and at some place in the future.

 

[kaserei]

There is no reason why "missiles" couldn't have hyperspace drives, and be fired at targets from another system, assuming you have a target location to fire at, and a big enough launcher.

Anyone read Randolph Lalondes Spinward Fringe series? He mentions hyperspace capable weaponry launched from stations, he also uses some interesting damage mitigation manoeuvres in the early books that would apply to specific shield presentation in ED.