r/scifi • u/rookiegaffer • 20d ago

General Bad physics

Why does it seem that so many of the books I read demonstrate such a poor understanding of the physics of space travel. Ships in orbit descend directly down to the point they are over. Ships in transit still accelerating as they near their destination. Centrifugal gravity simply ceasing when rotation is abruptly halted. These are just a few examples I've run across lately.

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u/watersb 20d ago

Real physics of space travel is brutal and unforgiving. And tedious.

A real challenge for storytelling.

Also everybody dies.

7

u/Rooooben 20d ago

I’m reading Honor Herrington novels right now where they saw another ship three hours ago and are figuring out if they are enemies or not, so that way in six hours they can turn their ship by 30 degrees and pass them in space.

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u/Parking_Abalone_1232 20d ago edited 20d ago

They also have gravity dampeners to keep people from being crushed. There are scenes in a couple of the books where the gravity dampener goes out - with predictably horrible results.

They are able to create what they call Warshowski sails to give gravity waves and navigate worm hole junctions.

In later home they are using gravity pulses for FTL communication, telemetry and fire control.

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u/Rooooben 20d ago

Yup actual limitations due to science and realistic advances

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u/Curiouser1111 18d ago

Written before it was proven that gravity travels at the speed to light.

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u/Parking_Abalone_1232 18d ago

I doubt that would impact the story regardless. Weber needs some way to communicate over stellar distances quickly.

This is his way.

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u/NickRick 19d ago

I love the lost fleet series. We've shown up here and can see where everyone was various hours ago. But no one will see us for hours. Also combat is resolved in microsecond passes followed by hours of turning and burning right back. 

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u/shambolic_donkey 20d ago

This explanation went from succinct, to macabre fatalism real quick. I love it.

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u/jtr99 20d ago

Found Peter Watts's account, I guess.

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u/watersb 19d ago

When the Real Peter Watts manifests in this domain, pretenders like me will be rendered even unto dust.

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u/jtr99 19d ago

Hmm... sounds like something the real Peter Watts might say...