A possible 100% electric propulsion method

[322997am]

I was thinking today what happens when you clip 8 reaction wheels into the center of mass of a craft. Could that confuse sas to propel you forward on electricity only. I couldn't do it. Could someone one else try it.

[Frozen_Heart]

With landing gear and lots of SAS to keep it straight you can propel a craft without having to use fuel. Called a K-Drive.

[Gaarst]

Cheaper Kraken drive can be achieved just using a cargo bay and putting stuff in it.

Results not guaranteed.

May cause implosion of vessel. At best you'll be heading the wrong way.

You're warned.

Anyway, there's no reason SAS would propel you forward.

BTW, has infinite glider been fixed in recent versions ?

[MaverickSawyer]

Cheaper Kraken drive can be achieved just using a cargo bay and putting stuff in it.

Results not guaranteed.

May cause implosion of vessel. At best you'll be heading the wrong way.

You're warned.

Anyway, there's no reason SAS would propel you forward.

BTW, has infinite glider been fixed in recent versions ?

Sadly, yes. Some of my more enjoyable designs were infinigliders.

[Robet.G]

no it won't

[cantab]

There did used to be a flaw with fuel pumping not obeying conservation of momentum. So you could pump fuel, rotate, pump fuel, rotate, and slowly but surely "ladder" yourself along. Tedious though, unless maybe you automate it with kOS.

[sardia]

http://www.science20.com/hammock_physicist/swimming_through_empty_space

This is the only known pure electric drive I've heard of. It relies on the fact that true space is non-euclidean, and results in a degenerative breast stroke type motion to move around.

[The_Rocketeer]

For a person... for a machine it could probably look something like a funky tennis-ball launcher.

Also, I'm pretty sure an Alcubierre drive would 'run' on electricity... and a small sun.

[KerikBalm]

Why would SAS do this?

This seems like those people that thing you can propel a spacecraft with a gyroscope in real life... but in KSP.

Kraken drives are different as I understand... based on KSP breaing from equal and opposite reactions when various parts are extended... like landng legs/gears/bay doors... like a ladder drive.. a force is exerted on one part, but not the other.

A kerbal on a ladder pushing on something will exert a force on what it pushes, without exerting an equal and opposite force on the ladder.

Otherwise, they work by floating point errors.

What do reaction wheels have to do with any of this though?