Spaceship Design: What makes sense, and what's nonsense?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by FF_Ninja

So, Firefly's Serenity did handle this issue fairly well. It had a massive rear engine, but it also had two sizable engines (one on either side) that could be rotated downward to provide downward thrust for landing/take-off or rearward to provide additional forward thrust. Or, I guess, rotated forward to provide rearward thrust.

The swivel engines were the atmospheric propulsion system. they could be turned all the way to the front. You see this done (for one engine only) in the "Crazy Ivan" maneuver in (ISTR) the pilot. They shut off when you hit orbit.

Guesses at how they work mostly center around what's usually called a "grav-ram" that pulls air (and the occaissional human body) through the engine with intense artificial gravity. It obviously has no internal fans or blades.

The big engine at the back is for space propulsion only and its' mode of function is utterly mysterious. It does appear to involve that spinning _thing_ in Kaylee's engine room (but it uses no fuel). Rotary motion is important to many forms of spece travel.

Possibly a Rotary Reactionless in Spaceships terms.