my point is that it's physically impossible to shoot missiles out of the bottom of a ship in orbit and have them go straight down and hit the planet. orbital velocity is around 18k mph. If you want missiles to drop straight down, you first have to launch them behind you in the opposite direction at 18k mph. basically attach a whole-ass falcon 9 to each missile.
Depends on the speed of the missiles though - if the physical projectile survives enormous amounts of heat, there's nothing to stop it reaching the planet's surface in almost no time. Though it likely won't be called a missile anymore.
Well then you'll be happy to learn that those aren't missiles, they're drop pods, each containing a Helldiver, and it stops into the ground so that the back end of the "bullet" is level with the ground and the Helldiver pops out fully combat ready. I have a sneaking suspicion they don't care that much about scientific accuracy.
shooting missiles straight down to the surface. completely ignores that they're moving sideways at 18k mph just like the ship. you can't leave orbit like that, they'd never hit the planet, just curve away behind the ship into their own orbit whip you hope doesn't come back and hit the ship in a few hours. and yeah, the dropship in Aliens pisses me off too.
But if they're in geosynchronis orbit they are moving at the speed relative to earth's surface. If they were firing a fast enough projectile it would hit what's directly below them.
it would not. you have to remember that whatever you shoot is still going sideways at orbital velocity, and will never leave that orbit unless you either accelerate or decelerate along the orbital direction. no matter how much you thrust downwards, you'll never change the core altitude of the orbit, all you do is change the phasing of the orbit.
If you fire something straight down it is going to leave orbit in that direction. If it is fired fast enough it will hit whatever is below it. Think laser.
streetcatz
they had to void the space station waste system after taco bell night
BeardedWonder82
ChickenChickenBurningBright
I swear to God nobody in the entertainment industry understands the bare minimum about being in orbit.
lastmanonearthbutidroppedmyglasses
It’s almost like everything you see on screen is a metaphor designed to convey intent rather than a literal view of what’s happening.
ChickenChickenBurningBright
naw it's just lazy writing.
IrrationalNumber
TBF one of the reasons the missions are timed is that the ships orbit takes it out of range of the mission area.
ChickenChickenBurningBright
my point is that it's physically impossible to shoot missiles out of the bottom of a ship in orbit and have them go straight down and hit the planet. orbital velocity is around 18k mph. If you want missiles to drop straight down, you first have to launch them behind you in the opposite direction at 18k mph. basically attach a whole-ass falcon 9 to each missile.
michiyl
Depends on the speed of the missiles though - if the physical projectile survives enormous amounts of heat, there's nothing to stop it reaching the planet's surface in almost no time.
Though it likely won't be called a missile anymore.
ChickenChickenBurningBright
speed of the missile doesn't matter, unless they're going a significant fraction of the speed of light, which is a different case of not possible.
IrrationalNumber
Well then you'll be happy to learn that those aren't missiles, they're drop pods, each containing a Helldiver, and it stops into the ground so that the back end of the "bullet" is level with the ground and the Helldiver pops out fully combat ready. I have a sneaking suspicion they don't care that much about scientific accuracy.
Exyr
Whats wrong?
ChickenChickenBurningBright
shooting missiles straight down to the surface. completely ignores that they're moving sideways at 18k mph just like the ship. you can't leave orbit like that, they'd never hit the planet, just curve away behind the ship into their own orbit whip you hope doesn't come back and hit the ship in a few hours. and yeah, the dropship in Aliens pisses me off too.
Exyr
But if they're in geosynchronis orbit they are moving at the speed relative to earth's surface. If they were firing a fast enough projectile it would hit what's directly below them.
ChickenChickenBurningBright
it would not. you have to remember that whatever you shoot is still going sideways at orbital velocity, and will never leave that orbit unless you either accelerate or decelerate along the orbital direction. no matter how much you thrust downwards, you'll never change the core altitude of the orbit, all you do is change the phasing of the orbit.
Exyr
If you fire something straight down it is going to leave orbit in that direction. If it is fired fast enough it will hit whatever is below it. Think laser.