Spacecraft Maneuverability: G-Forces in Space?

[whiterecluse]

I was watching Star Wars and started to wonder. If a man were flying a spacecraft in space, would he be able to turn quickly and speed up quickly? Or would there still be a G force like in jets on earth? Kind of hard for me to explain it. I know that the jets now days can turn faster than the pilots can handle. Would the same physics laws apply in space? And what about when they go into "hyper space"? Can our bodies moving that fast all of the sudden?

 

[DieCommie]

Yes you can feel G force in space, and this would be a major hurdle if/when we travel at significant fractions of the speed of light.

In the some sci fi books they have to speed for many months to avoid high G force. Then they have to slow down for many months as well. THis could however help with the need for gravity in space i think?

 

[dtang0]

the forces still exist in space. the forces or g's are directly related to the inertia of the moving body.

 

[Danger]

I was watching Star Wars and started to wonder. If a man were flying a spacecraft in space, would he be able to turn quickly and speed up quickly?

First, forget about anything you see in an 'entertainment' type movie. If you want to see realistic space manoeuvring, check out 'Marooned' or '2001'. If you see a fighter or whatever swooping into a nice banked turn, it's only for artistic reasons. You need wings interacting with air to do that. How many gees can be pulled in a movement is entirely dependent upon the strength of you propulsion units. And 'hyperspace' is just a slick way to avoid the fact that you can't reach light speed in Einsteinian space. If you ever have a chance to play an old 'Asteroids' arcade game, you'll have a better idea of how a real spaceship would behave.