Inertial compensator

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Inertial compensators, or inertial dampers (as they are more often called) are fictional devices aboard starships in some science fiction series, including Star Trek, Star Wars and Stargate. Futuristic space travel generally involves accelerating to superluminal velocity in short time. However the enormous g-forces so generated would be sufficient to crush many things on board—bulkheads, equipment, and, of course, human bodies. Inertial compensators provide a mechanism to counteract such g-forces and protect all on board. They also act as a form of universal seat belt, protecting crews from the inertial forces caused by the ships's regular manoeuvring. Without inertial compensators, space travel would be rendered extremely slow, as a ship would only be permitted to accelerate at a pace tolerable to human beings. They therefore are a critical component of any science fiction which involves rapid space transit.

Like faster-than-light "warp" drives they are supposed to work with, inertial compensators exist outside the realm of current science. The explanation of this type of technology is rather more obscure than is usual in science fiction—most of the time described as employing some kind of field which encases the ship and suspends Newton's laws from the outside universe. The inertial dampers as used in Star Trek are not allowed by the current laws of physics, but as one Star Trek writer put it, without the technology, crews would risk being turned into "chunky salsa" from the force of being thrown inside the ship.^[1]

As usually depicted, the inertial damping system may be overwhelmed by sudden jarring effects to the vessel, such as from weapons fire or space collisions. The system may also fail completely. Such a breakdown, usually during battle, is a frequently employed drama device—the crew is shown to be violently tossed around as the ship maneuvers and is hit. At the same time the vessel is prevented from escaping by "going to warp", as the crew would not be protected from the fatal acceleration.

1 Star Trek
2 Star Wars
3 Stargate
4 Contemporary Compensators
5 Compensating for Acceleration
6 Inertial Compensation versus Artificial Gravity
7 Burst / Steady Acceleration
8 References

[edit] Star Trek

As portrayed in Star Trek, the inertial damping field (IDF) of a starship is not fast enough to compensate for very spontaneous and unexpected movements, as evidenced by crew members being flung from their posts when a ship is attacked. Seat belts are not widely used, but in a scene cut from the movie Star Trek: Nemesis, seat belts are installed on the Enterprise-E (this is regarded as a nod to fans, who have questioned the absence of seat belts for decades).

Some actors playing roles in Star Trek have mispronounced the name as 'inertial dampeners'.

[edit] Star Wars

The inertial compensator in the Star Wars series is used in spaceships especially fighters and fighter simulators. This technology allows pilots to fly in space where there is no gravity. This could also be used in simulators, because it can create artificial gravity that makes the simulators more realistic.

[edit] Stargate

The inertial dampers aboard the F-302 fighter in the Stargate universe are only capable of compensating for 90% of the negative g-forces experienced by a pilot, their effectiveness concerning both positive and lateral forces is unstated although assumed to be sufficient.

In addition, the Puddle Jumpers have compensators which allow them to create or deter inertial force in any direction, this allows them to increase in weight. As seen in (The Eye). They have also demonstrated the ability to allow the craft to decelerate from extreme velocities to a stand still over a distance of less than 20 feet with no adverse effects on the passengers.

[edit] Contemporary Compensators

While physicists quickly label the concept of Star Trek style compensators as beyond the current realm of possibility, in fact modern engineers employ inertial compensators on a primitive scale. From a standpoint of physics, inertia is nothing more than energy. Gravity, inertia, force etc... are all ways of defining or quantifying energy. Einstein taught us that energy can not be destroyed, however we know it can be dissipated. Think of water; it isn't destroyed by boiling, it is vaporized. Energy works the same way. The sun's harmful energy is spread by our atmosphere to such a point as to be less harmful to humans.

The way a seatbelt works is by spreading energy. When your car stops, your body wants to continue because of energy called inertia. The seatbelt connects you to the vehicle so that the inertial energy is spread over the car's entire surface area. A bulletproof vest, catcher's mitt, and air bags are all examples of modern devices we use to spread inertial energy.

As for modern vehicular inertial compensators we need look no further than shock absorbers. When energy is applied against a tire by a pot hole, a hydraulic piston (shock absorber) absorbs this energy and redistributes it to the vehicle's frame so a smooth ride occurs. If Star Trek's Enterprise had huge shock absorbers redistributing the shock of a photon torpedo it would cause the occupants to feel far less force. Inertial compensators are futuristic shock absorbers.

[edit] Compensating for Acceleration

The problem with compensating for acceleration is that the energy is constant. This could be resolved however if acceleration is quick. A person who accelerates in their car feels the pull of the acceleration energy. However, when they reach a constant speed they no longer feel the energy. So a car going 0–60 in 4 seconds experiences 4 seconds of inertia while a car going 0-60 in 9 seconds would experience 9 seconds of inertia. Humans can tolerate high g-force inertia for shorter periods much better than for long durations.

In space travel, if a ship could reach the high speed needed for interstellar travel quickly and compensate for the force of the initial burst of acceleration, inertial dampening wouldn't be needed after that. If the Enterprise's inertial dampeners failed, the crew would feel no adverse effects as long as the ship maintained a constant course and speed no matter how fast it was traveling.

The challenge for scientists is to find a way of redistributing inertial energy so a space ship could accelerate at levels beyond human tolerance.

[edit] Inertial Compensation versus Artificial Gravity

Inertial compensator technology and artificial gravity are not only different, they can be in opposition to each other.

Gravity is that energy that pulls one body toward another. We are pulled toward the Earth by the energy of the Earth's mass. In space, without the energy of gravity we experience relative free-fall. (see Einstein's theory of relativity for more on this) Scientists want to simulate gravity to help humans function and stay healthy. In other words, they want to create inertial energy. Inertial compensators seek to negate inertial energy.

In fact, one of the most popular theories for generating artificial gravity is to have a ship accelerate at a constant speed that creates 1g worth of energy for the crew. A quick burst acceleration with inertial compensating followed by a constant speed would expose the crew to relative free-fall.

[edit] Burst / Steady Acceleration

One possible theory for dealing with this is to employ a technique used by modern jet pilots. A pilot travelling at 600mph wants to travel at 900mph. He hits his afterburner and experiences high g forces while he accelerates. He then stops accelerating at 900mph.

Take this one step further for space travel. A spaceship could accelerate for a short period at a high g force and utilize some mechanism of inertial compensation to lessen the strain on the crew. Then the ship could reduce its rate of acceleration to a rate that with compensation equals 1g. As long as the ship's floors were facing the direction of travel, the crew would experience a 1g environment. Additional bursts of acceleration could be used to reach the desired speed.

The biggest drawback to acceleration based gravity is the fuel consumption but artificial gravity difficulties will not automatically relate to inertial compensating problems. In fact contemporary devices for compensating for inertia require no fuel at all.