Thruster

Thrusters for both small and large ships require reactor energy and apply two different kinds of thrust. A thruster applies its maximum thrust while stabilizing and only 2/3 of maximum thrust when using the movement keys. This means a ship will stabilize faster if the pilot does not activate any maneuvering controls.

To calculate how many thrusters you need, use the formula F(force) = m*a where (m = mass of the ship in kilograms) and (a = desired acceleration in meters per second). Then take this total and divide it by the maneuvering force of the thruster to obtain the number of thrusters needed for each direction.

Ex. If you want to have a large ship that has 2 million kg of mass accelerate 5 meters/sec you would use the following equation. Force = 2,000,000 x 5, resulting in 10,000,000. Large thrusters for large ships produce 1,200,000 Newtons of force. 10,000,000 divided by 1,200,000 gives you a total of 8.33. This is the number of large thrusters you would need in each direction to accelerate the ship at 5 meters/sec.

See also Gyroscope.

Thrusters

Block	Icon	Mass for Small ships (kg)	Mass for Large ships (kg)	Description
Small Thruster
Large Thruster

Small Thrust

A small component to create thrust for your ship.

Large Thrust

A large component to create thrust for your ship.

Thruster Characteristics

Small Ships

		Force (N)	Power (GW)	Mass (Kg)
Small Thruster	Max	18 165	2.52	93
	Maneuvering	12110	1.68
Large Thruster	Max	218 250	30	721
	Maneuvering	145 500	20

Large Ships

		Force (N)	Power (GW)	Mass (Kg)
Small Thruster	Max	150 660	42	3384
	Maneuvering	100 440	28
Large Thruster	Max	1 815 000	504	43212
	Maneuvering	1 210 000	336