Can a warp field be engaged while sitting still?

[Timo]

We're supposed to think that full impulse is a viable interplanetary speed, representing a significant fraction of lightspeed - yet acceleration to full impulse, when depicted in exterior visuals showing a point of reference (say, a fellow ship), tends to be very gradual. Is that just a matter of caution, though? We do have evidence of rather explosive accelerations, such as the one where our heroes leave Earth in ST:TMP - perhaps in a hurry, certain safety considerations are forgotten?

Timo Saloniemi

[pimp]

Forgive me if I am wrong but isn't a ship in warp already sitting still and not moving at all?? the space bubble around makes space move (something along those lines lol)

[KamenRiderBlade]

Timo wrote:

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We're supposed to think that full impulse is a viable interplanetary speed, representing a significant fraction of lightspeed - yet acceleration to full impulse, when depicted in exterior visuals showing a point of reference (say, a fellow ship), tends to be very gradual. Is that just a matter of caution, though? We do have evidence of rather explosive accelerations, such as the one where our heroes leave Earth in ST:TMP - perhaps in a hurry, certain safety considerations are forgotten?

Timo Saloniemi

I think it's a matter of graphic artist having no sense of scale.

[blssdwlf]

Timo wrote:

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We're supposed to think that full impulse is a viable interplanetary speed, representing a significant fraction of lightspeed - yet acceleration to full impulse, when depicted in exterior visuals showing a point of reference (say, a fellow ship), tends to be very gradual. Is that just a matter of caution, though? We do have evidence of rather explosive accelerations, such as the one where our heroes leave Earth in ST:TMP - perhaps in a hurry, certain safety considerations are forgotten?

Timo Saloniemi

In TOS, we've seen a full power maximum impulse acceleration away from a planet in "The Squire of Gothos" and it was a crazy explosive acceleration. When they left orbit in "Tomorrow is Yesterday" the acceleration is comparable to TMP. I think on average, it will be gradual. But if Kirk orders Scotty to throw all power into it, then it is pretty immediate.

That seems also to be the case with warp acceleration. If all power is thrown into it then the acceleration is almost immediate. But if they can only feed the engines a fraction of the power as the rest is taken up by shields and weapons or if the engines are just starting up from "idle" then the acceleration would be gradual, IMHO.

As to TNG - they might follow that same trend but I'm not positive.

[KamenRiderBlade]

pimp wrote:

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Forgive me if I am wrong but isn't a ship in warp already sitting still and not moving at all?? the space bubble around makes space move (something along those lines lol)

When a warp bubble is engaged, the ship and space around it is sitting still. The warp field pulls on space time in front, ergo shortening it, while expanding space time in back.

[publiusr]

A planet star or Black hole warps space just sitting still. I would think a ship would have to engage warp nacelles slightly even to use tractor beams to keep the ship stationary and to have purchase on larger objects--firmer footing if you will.

[Christopher]

^Or it could just fire maneuvering thrusters to keep station while using a tractor beam.

[Timo]

We don't know exactly how tractor beams agree with Isaac Newton. Is a tractor beam simply a forcefield-based rope connecting the towing ship with the towed object? Or is it more like an independent grabbing hand that is merely projected by the towing ship but essentially anchors itself to the underlying structure of the universe rather than to the ship?

We seldom see and never hear a ship applying engine power in order to keep a tractored object under control - even if said object is a ship applying her own engine power in an attempt to break loose!

Timo Saloniemi

[publiusr]

Christopher wrote:

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^Or it could just fire maneuvering thrusters to keep station while using a tractor beam.

I could see that with smaller objects certainly. That's the gravity tractor method. Then too with the amount of power these ships generate...