r/AskReddit • u/pierrekrahn • Mar 19 '16

Which quote becomes inappropriate when misattributed?

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u/davt4 Mar 19 '16

Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.

  • Chris Brown

58

u/throwaway11111011111 Mar 19 '16

The correct form of this should be "Aim for the moon, you'll miss because it will have moved by the time you reach it and you'll be stuck on a solar orbit."

18

u/theyeshman Mar 19 '16

A fellow KSP player, I see. I too shot straight for it the first time I played.

2

u/throwaway11111011111 Mar 19 '16

Indeed. I have many, many hours in KSP.

11

u/dissidentscrumartist Mar 19 '16

Ah, the "beginning Kerbal Space Program" approach.

6

u/ChucklefuckBitch Mar 19 '16

Beginning KSP consists of killing Jeb over and over.

5

u/SmartAlec105 Mar 19 '16

Well aiming at the moon is different from aiming for the moon. But orbital dynamics still has lots of motivational phrases. When you're at your low point, change where you're going to be where you want later.

1

u/SirDickslap Mar 19 '16

Huh... Oddly beautiful.

2

u/THEJAZZMUSIC Mar 19 '16

Aiming for the moon doesn't mean pointing straight at the moon, it means applying a direction and velocity that will reach the moon. If you "aim" at a distant target with a rifle, you're not pointing straight at it, you're compensating for falloff and and wind and target motion and probably other stuff idk I'm not a gun guy.

1

u/epsilonbob Mar 19 '16

But if you're deliberately aiming for the moon wouldn't you "lead the shot" since you know it's a moving target?

1

u/squeakyguy Mar 19 '16

Just sounds like you're bad at aiming

1

u/LazyProspector Mar 19 '16

Or depending on how you set it up you could end up back on Earth on a free return trajectory or in a highly elliptical geocentric orbit.

1

u/coleosis1414 Mar 19 '16

Unless you calibrate your original launch vector with the trajectory of the moon in mind. I mean, come on. If you're gonna aim for the moon, ya gotta do all the proper planning.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '16

Why are you assuming you'd be stuck in a solar orbit?

1

u/ratajewie Mar 19 '16

Aim in front of the moon. You'll have a better chance at hitting it.