# Star Trek-HOW did they change the roll, pitch and yaw attitudes of the ship?



## taneal1 (Jul 27, 2014)

Since TOS first appeared on my tiny B&W TV screen, I have wondered how they controlled the roll, pitch, and yaw attitude of the ship. There are no attitude reaction control jets (and they would have to be QUITE large), and no flywheels depicted in any cutaway drawings, nor any mention of how the heck they maneuvered this thing.

Any ideas?

Tom


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

It's never specified. It was part of the philosophy of not getting too bogged in minutia. It wasn't necessary to say "set an orbit at 20,000 miles above mean sea level" when "standard Orbit, Mr. Sulu" did the job.

While they are not shown nor mentioned it's logical to believe there are reaction control thrusters and verniers spaced at logical movement/momentum points. There could be steerable nozzles at the impulse exhaust which could account for gross maneuvering. For more fine motion, again, thrusters. 

Another possibility would be reactionless. Given the control of gravity as seen in the show, it's entirely possible that varied gravitic pulses 'warp' the direction of travel. This is again never actually mentioned as such, and it would be questionable for the times the Enterprise or a sister ship moved about with the main power offline. 

(then again, the interior gravity never goes out...because THAT would have been impossible to deal with in '60s TV production terms!  )

There is no obvious place for these visible, of course. Any added detail of that nature would be called non-canon.

How did they maneuver that thing? They just did. No biggie. Don't get worked up over it, just roll with it.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Linear accelerators throwing small pellets of nuetronium spaced all around the primary hull rim (3 each X,Y,Z axis).

The slugs are thrown out at high speed creating a reaction thrust, the slugs are transported 1 foot away from the hull back to the 
linear accelerator to be used again.

It seems to violate the conservation of energy laws, but the matter/anitmatter reactors produce enough magic to allow everything to balance out in the end.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

mach7 said:


> Linear accelerators throwing small pellets of nuetronium spaced all around the primary hull rim (3 each X,Y,Z axis).
> 
> The slugs are thrown out at high speed creating a reaction thrust, the slugs are transported 1 foot away from the hull back to the
> linear accelerator to be used again.
> ...


*pffft* you forgot the ring of collapsed nickle gyros at the c/g point.


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

They rolled or pitched the camera one direction, and the cast threw themselves in the opposite direction.


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## CessnaDriver (Apr 27, 2005)

Well the refit had them all over so it was something they wanted to address after TOS.


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## Prologic9 (Dec 4, 2009)

They have the ability to create and manipulate gravity. Seems like it would be trivial. 

The visible thrusters on later ships were actually pretty archaic.


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## CaptCBoard (Aug 3, 2002)

I'll explain this only this one more time, and then I'm done with it.

Roll: Erradigaphnic Cosmoquangers herb into themselves, thus creating the desired angle, to port or starboard, of the heated angrillarthic mytosomes. When they cool, which is nearly instantaneous, the negative pressure created conclibglides against all of the normal sibbons, making the ship roll.

Yaw: Same as Roll, except sideways.

Pitch: What you do with a baseball. 3 Strikes and you're estromified. Oh-- sorry. Make that EXtromified.

Scott


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

^But they've had problems with the cosmoquangers ever since they sent the ship out to glominated and framminized.


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

Even the Jupiter 2 had hull thrusters that were invisible until they were used (and that was on a planet's surface during a test).


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Steve H said:


> *pffft* you forgot the ring of collapsed nickle gyros at the c/g point.


Well, those were removed in the refit after Pike's mission, before Kirk took command.
They were replaced with virtual 3 axis gravity ring generators. These took up much less space than the nickle gyros allowing for more crew/labs to be installed. :laugh:


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Anyhoo, in my tiny little adolescent mind, directional changes were done by either magnetics, gravitics, or gyros. The hull was skinned in a uniform, seamless coat that was, maybe, "grown" on, or welded at a molecular level so seams didn't show.

The TMP refit ruined all that magic.


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

I thought they just moved the camera.


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## alensatemybuick (Sep 27, 2015)

Everyone moved in unison to the required part of the ship to utilize their collective weight for maneuvering. Duh.


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## Radiodugger (Sep 27, 2011)

See, you have to quantify Inverse Reactive Current. In Unilateral Phase Detractors, the Retro Incabulator creates the necessary action. Being Reactive, of course. See, the Modial Interaction of Magneto Reluctance and Capacitive Diractance is the result of Prefamulated Amulite. This consists of 6 Hydrocoptic Marsal Veins, fitted to the Abithasian Lunar-Wein shaft, so that side-fumbling is eliminated. Thus, force is directed as needed.

The windings are of the Lotus-O'Deltoid type, placed in Pan-endermic, semi-Boloid slots of the Stator. The Differential Girdle Spring connected to the non-reversible, Drawn-reciprocation Dingle Arm is the primary adjustable component. This is to reduce Sino-Soyal Deplaneration. 

I hope this helps! :tongue:

Doug


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## Capt. Krik (May 26, 2001)

Radiodugger said:


> See, you have to quantify Inverse Reactive Current. In Unilateral Phase Detractors, the Retro Incabulator creates the necessary action. Being Reactive, of course. See, the Modial Interaction of Magneto Reluctance and Capacitive Diractance is the result of Prefamulated Amulite. This consists of 6 Hydrocoptic Marsal Veins, fitted to the Abithasian Lunar-Wein shaft, so that side-fumbling is eliminated. Thus, force is directed as needed.
> 
> The windings are of the Lotus-O'Deltoid type, placed in Pan-endermic, semi-Boloid slots of the Stator. The Differential Girdle Spring connected to the non-reversible, Drawn-reciprocation Dingle Arm is the primary adjustable component. This is to reduce Sino-Soyal Deplaneration.
> 
> ...


Wow! Here I thought they just changed the direction the camera was moving to make the ship look like it was turning.


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## Radiodugger (Sep 27, 2011)

My attempt at humor is found wanting...

Doug


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## dave632 (Jun 24, 2016)

Tesla coils modified with and intergalactic space modulator.>


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## Opus Penguin (Apr 19, 2004)

That's what the grid lines are for ..... (ducks quickly).


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Radiodugger said:


> My attempt at humor is found wanting...
> 
> Doug


Well, what does it look like? Maybe if we look we can find it?

Or is 'Wanting' a brand of booze? Because if your humor found booze and it's not sharing, then BAD HUMOR! BAD!


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

dave632 said:


> Tesla coils modified with and intergalactic space modulator.>


Inter_stellar_, not intergalactic. She may have left the galaxy a couple of times, but she never went to another one.


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

dave632 said:


> Tesla coils modified with and intergalactic space modulator.>


I thought that was for blowing up the Earth.


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## Radiodugger (Sep 27, 2011)

Steve H said:


> Well, what does it look like? Maybe if we look we can find it?


Nope, Steve! Thanks! Found it!












Steve H said:


> Or is 'Wanting' a brand of booze? Because if your humor found booze and it's not sharing, then BAD HUMOR! BAD!


Oh no, he SHARES! But see...I'm not as _think_, as some drunkle _PEEP_ I am! 

Doug


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## mhvink (Aug 24, 2010)

scotpens said:


> I thought that was for blowing up the Earth.


No, no. That's an Illudium Q-36 Explosive SPACE Modulator.


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## Opus Penguin (Apr 19, 2004)

In all seriousness, the Enterprise Refit corrected this by adding the reaction control thrusters seen in various parts of the ship. These were seen in future models too, like the Enterprise D. They are identified by the yellow, triangular, marks on the edge of the saucer, for example. I am guessing the people who made the model did not have the foresight to add this to TOS model.


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## charonjr (Mar 27, 2000)

The ship has two warp pods. An asymmetrical warp field would do the job nicely. If they are at impulse, all the warp power could be used and make the ship very highly maneuverable! I can see having an RCS for knocking about in space dock. But it would be useless for any maneuvering above a kilometer per second. Unless it is tied into the impulse or warp systems for fuel, and even then, the apertures of RCS would be a major limiting factor for speed.


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## Radiodugger (Sep 27, 2011)

Opus Penguin said:


> In all seriousness, the Enterprise Refit corrected this by adding *the reaction control thrusters* seen in various parts of the ship. These were seen in future models too, like the Enterprise D. They are identified by the yellow, triangular, marks on the edge of the saucer, for example...


The RCS can be seen here:










Here is the full size pic:

http://cdn.paper4pc.com/images/uss-enterprise-ncc1701a-plan-wallpaper-1.jpg

Doug


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

charonjr said:


> The ship has two warp pods. An asymmetrical warp field would do the job nicely. If they are at impulse, all the warp power could be used and make the ship very highly maneuverable! I can see having an RCS for knocking about in space dock. But it would be useless for any maneuvering above a kilometer per second. Unless it is tied into the impulse or warp systems for fuel, and even then, the apertures of RCS would be a major limiting factor for speed.


All true. This would also nicely account for the 'slow ocean going vessel' look of wide turns and slow banks.

But I can't help but feel that those fields would be pretty messy to have running in a space dock, so there's still a need, as you also say, for verniers to fine tune things like docking and matching course and stuff.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Y'know, there's a reason it's called science _fiction_.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Zombie_61 said:


> Y'know, there's a reason it's called science _fiction_.


Well, of course, but let's not forget that 'Science' is part of the title, right? That means things have reason, not 'just because'.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Steve H said:


> Well, of course, but let's not forget that 'Science' is part of the title, right? That means things have reason, not 'just because'.


Uh huh, right. Google "technobabble".


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## charonjr (Mar 27, 2000)

I have to admit that the RCS does make sense. I always felt their addition to the movie Enterprise was a sort unnecessary retro-tech approach to answer the question: how does she make turns? The JJprise takes this to an extreme level, with its rockets on the under side of the saucer. At first, I thought the huge tanks were fuel for these things. Then Khan2bad showed how things were so tied into the warp core, that nothing on the ship would function without the warp core! 

I remember when the impulse deck, discussed in the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", made sense as a completely separately powered propulsion system. Then, that seemed to be eliminated in The Motion Picture, in favor of warp plasma bouncing off a impulse crystal to fly out of the impulse vents. I may have that one wrong, but that seemed to be the idea behind the vertical shaft in Engineering. Feel free to correct me. 

Next Gen brought up the use of fusion reactors of different sorts to power many systems, perhaps the saucer impulse engines, too? Anyway, yes, it be science fiction. Kirk once yelled "Lateral power" to get the ship out of the galaxy's energy barrier. I loved that line for its lack of specificity: warp power? Impulse? RCS? Unknown. It fell into the "we don't need to know how a phaser works, just that it does" rubric mentioned in the writer's guide. Simplicity leads to ideas....


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## robn1 (Nov 17, 2012)

charonjr said:


> ...I remember when the impulse deck, discussed in the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", made sense as a completely separately powered propulsion system. Then, that seemed to be eliminated in The Motion Picture, in favor of warp plasma bouncing off a impulse crystal to fly out of the impulse vents. I may have that one wrong, but that seemed to be the idea behind the vertical shaft in Engineering. Feel free to correct me...


That's correct, plasma from the warp system supplied all of the ship's power. but there was a fusion reactor that could power everything except warp drive for a limited period. It's been said that the "linear accelerator" on the TOS ship is part of the fusion reactor system.

The RCS would only be used for fine steering in close quarters or while under impulse, it would probably be useless at warp speeds. Warp steering would be accomplished by manipulating the warp field.


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## charonjr (Mar 27, 2000)

Yes! Oh, but the new starships from the Next Gen area, apparently lacked warp maneuvering: (Voyager) Paris: (paraphrased) "When in Warp flight, no left or right."

Voyager had to drop out of warp to change directions in that episode. Something about the computer controlling their voyage through some dangerous part of space faster than a human could do it.

I have heard the "linear accelerator" description before, too. I *suppose* (i.e. pulling this one out of my...uh...) reactant products from the impulse engine could be made more efficient if magnetically accelerated to near the speed of light before being expelled out of the exhaust vents....


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