Maneuvering thrusters?

[TheMadCloner]

Hey all, I apologize if this has been covered before, but I've always wondered about the power of Starfleet (or 23/24th century) maneuvering thrusters? Are they running off the same principle as impulse engines (but on a smaller scale), or are they driven by chemical means similar to our own space shuttles? Or are they ion based? How would they compare to current propulsion technology?

Thanks in advance for answering.

 

[Jimmy_C]

Different starships could have different types of maneuvering thrusters. Just as today, chemical engines could be used for maneuvering on one spacecraft, but ion engines on another one could fulfill that purpose. That said, I think the Enterprise-D uses chemical engines for at least two of its maneuvering thrusters (as shown in the first episode with Leah Brahms in the third season of TNG). Not saying it has non-Newtonian thrusters too for maneuvering. In fact, it probably has those too for others missions, such as those that require the least amount of disturbance to the enviornment (so they can't be tracked, not to contaminate a target, etc).

 

[Forbin]

Some fannon sources call them particle beam thrusters. But that alweays sounded kinda dangerous to me. I'm guessing good ol' chemical reaction rockets.

 

[Ronald Held]

I believed they were akin to chemical propulsion with limiting speeds of a few thousand km/hour, if used for decidcated vessel propulsion.

 

[Unicron]

Particle beam thrusters? Never heard that one before. I have seen references to the RCS (reaction control system, IIRC).

 

[Forbin]

Particle beam thrusters? Never heard that one before.

Aridas uses that in Ships of the Star Fleet.

 

[Timo]

He also postulates different mechanisms for different generations of starships, although I don't remember what his alternate systems were called. Apparently, there isn't one superior technology, but a number of alternatives, of which one or the other is found the most efficient at a given time and stage of ongoing development.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[shipfisher]

I gave my TNG tech manual away years ago, but I seem to remember the 1701D having dedicated "micro-fusion" plants for individual RCS thruster "quads" or groups of grids/nozzles.