| Rain Man |
06-07-2013 01:24 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by patteeu
(Post 9736225)
If maneuvering rockets are displaced from the center of gravity of the vehicle (e.g. by being placed at the end of a "wing") they can generate more torque with the same amount of thrust than if they're closer to the CoG. :shrug:
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That seems like a really good reason, though perhaps one would just use spars instead of wings if that's the only reason. A few other reasons I can think of for wings might be:
1. Maneuvering in atmosphere, as donger suggested.
2. Keeping radioactive or toxic weapons as far as possible from the pilot (though this would likely be spars as well).
3. The wings contain energy collectors for solar power or solar wind or some sort of intergalactic energy, which looks to be the case for most of the Empire ships, but not the rebel ships. However, this could be explained by the possibility that the Empire ships are true space ships and newer while the rebels ships have to serve both space and atmospheric purposes and are older.
4. It's unlikely but possible that they could be for cooling, depending on the power plant.
5. They may exist as wings and not spars because the pilot needs a place to climb up into the cockpit. Probably would have a ladder instead.
6. They could be for stability because if you're in space and do a barrel roll while moving over long distance it could have a gyroscopic effect due to a greater moment and keep you on the proper route more easily. Or similarly, it preserves momentum in rolling maneuvers.
Most likely, some prop designer just thought it looked cool, though. |
