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I'm not led to believe that Serenity is equipped with any sort of 'anti-grav' technology, because if she were, you wouldn't get all of the cool shots of Wash gripping the yoke with his arms shaking and such.

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The gravity drive she refers to is what creates gravity inside the ship when they're in space, since Serenity doesn't spin.

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Originally posted by tpope:
No worse than Star Wars really, and it doesn't detract from the show.

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In space, however, there is no friction to slow you down, only the occational gravity pulls from nearby planets, stars, and other spacial anomolies, and those pulls could be corrected by small bursts from the secondary engines. Initially you would need the great amount of speed supplied by the main engine, but after a short burn, you could just ride out the rest of the way with the engines refiring only in course adjustments and to slow the ship down once it reached it's destination.

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Originally posted by Static:


Oh yeah. . .and no goofy foreheads, either! (Except Simon's. . .can we say, 'different hairstyle' please?)

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Originally posted by Veteran:

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In space, however, there is no friction to slow you down, only the occational gravity pulls from nearby planets, stars, and other spacial anomolies, and those pulls could be corrected by small bursts from the secondary engines. Initially you would need the great amount of speed supplied by the main engine, but after a short burn, you could just ride out the rest of the way with the engines refiring only in course adjustments and to slow the ship down once it reached it's destination.

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This sounds pretty standard. Do you think they might use the gravity of planets and moons to generate inertia to get where they're going.(There's a good description of this type of manuver in one of the episodes of Star Trek the Next Generation when Picard's replacement is talking to Geordi about "Titan's Turn." Anyway, might be why Wash has to go through so much trouble to plot an "under the radar" course in OoG.

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Originally posted by Static:
An 'anti-gravity' field would eliminate the resistance that creates the vibration effect you see in Wash's arms when he's doing those neato manuvers.

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Originally posted by Static:
An 'anti-gravity' field would eliminate the resistance that creates the vibration effect you see in Wash's arms when he's doing those neato manuvers.

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Originally posted by GunRunner:
Just some random thoughts from me….

Well today our space probes use hyperbolic flight paths because they can't carry enough fuel to burn their engines for very long. Serenity on the other hand probably can burn they engines for much much longer so they could do a more direct path between two worlds. I read somewhere that if you could maintain one G of speed you could travel to Mars in a matter of hours.

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Originally posted by GunRunner:


As for atmospheric flight if they used the power of the ship's space engine (Which must generarate a lot of energy) to drive the two jets they could probably use just them for atmo flight. Since Serenity's jets can tilt they can provide both thrust and lift, so they would only need the pair of engines they have. If you put enough power behind it you can get a brick to fly. (I think that was said of the F-4 Phantom once.)

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Originally posted by Hotpoint:

The terraforming in Firefly also seems to include Gravity Manipulation so that a "small moon" produces a one-gee field. This might also account for effects on a hypothetical "Gravity drive" when you're near a terraformed world. The local Gravity manipulation plays havoc with your engines

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Originally posted by Grounded:
The gravitational field of a body is defined by its mass - not its volume. Thus a 'small moon' can generate a one-gee field as long as its density is high enough to compensate for its smaller-than-Earth volume.

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Originally posted by Hotpoint:

Yes but if we're sticking by the single solar system theory what's the chances of so many worlds having a one-gee field?

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Originally posted by Grounded:
If Firefly's solar system is more densely populated with planets (and moons) then maybe there are plenty of planets with roughly one-gee fields. Just a thought

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Originally posted by Hotpoint:

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Originally posted by Grounded:
If Firefly's solar system is more densely populated with planets (and moons) then maybe there are plenty of planets with roughly one-gee fields. Just a thought

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Maybe but to have that many one-gee worlds in the Goldilocks* Zone too? Definitely heading for a serious case of statistical improbability here my friend

I'll stick to Gravity Manipulation as my explanation



*Just in case there are non-space geeks still reading this, The "Goldilocks" Zone is the nickname for the possible orbits around a sun which are neither too hot or too cold to readily support Human habitation. Around Sol it's roughly from Venus to Mars I believe

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Hurrah, hurrah, when things are at their worst
With cries of “Death or Glory” comes the mighty Twenty-First

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Originally posted by Jasonzzz:

Rosettes are metastable configurations and
is very possible to have many many many of
them around a star's biozone.

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Originally posted by Hotpoint:

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Originally posted by Jasonzzz:

Rosettes are metastable configurations and
is very possible to have many many many of
them around a star's biozone.

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Kempler Rosettes are certainly a possibility. However to run across a "naturally occuring" one full of one-gee worlds anywhere near Sol (since we're also saying no FTL Drives) what are the chances?

If we assume serious Gravity Manipulation Technology then I could see a single manufactured system of moved and modified worlds though



...................................
Hurrah, hurrah, when things are at their worst
With cries of “Death or Glory” comes the mighty Twenty-First

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Originally posted by Hotpoint:
I'll stick to Gravity Manipulation as my explanation

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Originally posted by Drakon:
But, if you get gravity manipulation, you get warp drive, worm holes and FTL.

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Originally posted by Grounded:
Talking about gravitational manipulation is purely speculative

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Originally posted by Grounded:
The point is that a system with many one-gee (or approximately one-gee) planets is possible (however improbable). Talking about gravitational manipulation is purely speculative. I think the one conclusion to be drawn from this thread is that there's really no way to fully reconcile all the 'sciencey' factors in the show! I suppose that tells you something fundamental about the show itself

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Originally posted by Drakon:

That it is more about characters and plots and people than equipment, neato special effects and technobabble?

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Originally posted by Hotpoint:

Except for the fact they clearly have artificial gravity on ships and some kind of inertial reducing apparatus (or equivalent) because the Crazy Ivan didn't tear the ship and crew apart

The speculation is how it works not is it there

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Originally posted by Grounded:
I find it hard to believe that there's an explanation that reconciles the fact that gravity tech is standard on 'rough' ships like Serenity and Mal still has to relieve himself in a rusted, fold-out-of-the-wall toilet. It's something like the equivalent of having a laptop in a period drama

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Originally posted by Hotpoint:

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Originally posted by Grounded:
Talking about gravitational manipulation is purely speculative

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Except for the fact they clearly have artificial gravity on ships and some kind of inertial reducing apparatus (or equivalent) because the Crazy Ivan didn't tear the ship and crew apart

The speculation is how it works not is it there

...................................
Hurrah, hurrah, when things are at their worst
With cries of “Death or Glory” comes the mighty Twenty-First

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Originally posted by Jasonzzz:

but why would they need any sort of grav engine on the sound stage at all?

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The fact that it's there at all is a problem in itself. I find it hard to believe that there's an explanation that reconciles the fact that gravity tech is standard on 'rough' ships like Serenity and Mal still has to relieve himself in a rusted, fold-out-of-the-wall toilet. It's something like the equivalent of having a laptop in a period drama

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Originally posted by LtNOWIS:
Artificial gravity, inertia dampeners, etc. are all cheap, basic technologies in this future. We've solved problems like these, but we haven't solved other problems, like a terrestial transport more reliable and cheap than a horse.

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Originally posted by Grounded:
But that doesn't make sense. If high-tech like artificial gravity is cheap then equivalent or lesser tech must have made similar advances. If they've mastered gravity in 500 years then surely to goodness they can build a spaceship that doesn't rust...

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Originally posted by Grounded:
But this thread was about trying to explain the science of the show and that just can't be done

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Originally posted by Hotpoint:

Build a ship that doesn't rust and you don't get to sell another one to replace it. I'll give you a real world example, Henry Ford downgraded some of the parts on the Model T because they were too good and never wore out

Many items today are also made with a lifespan so we have to replace them too.

As for the other point how about there is plenty of high-tech in the 'Verse but it's strictly government controlled and corporate monopolies in the Core and Luddites on the Rim stifle innovation in the civilian sector

Try harder

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Originally posted by Grounded:

You're certainly determined Hotpoint

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Originally posted by Grounded:
The technology curve on the show is just too steep, in my opinion. I recently convinced my mum to start watching FF and, strangely enough, despite being an entirely unscientific person, she said exactly the same thing.

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Originally posted by Grounded

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