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Originally Posted by August
I see what you mean. So if I want to stay on the night side of a planet I guess all I have to do is counteract the pull of gravity. Since centrifugal force won't help as you point out then you'd have to maintain a constant thrust against it which would also be hidden by the planet.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by August
Bottom line I guess is how could a spacecraft keep the bulk of a planet or moon between them and an observer?
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I would guess that far enough from the planet the amount of thrust required would be minimal. The biggest problem I can see is not staying in one place, but knowing what the guy you're hiding from is doing. You can't see him either, so you can't know exactly when he's going to pop into view, or even from which side.
It reminds me of a book I've just been reading on sailing ship combat. You can see the enemy coming hours before you're close enough to fight, and if you should go behind an island you can't tell what he's doing any more than he can tell what you're doing.
Captain Isaac Hull of USS
Constution found a way to make that work for him while being chased by a British squadron in July 1812. After more than a day of towing the ships in a dead calm the wind picked up. As
Constitution approached a light squall with a four-mile lead, Hull had his crew shorten sail as if preparing for a major storm. Seeing this from a distance, the British did the same. As soon as
Constitution was on the other side of the squall, not able to see the enemy and knowing they couldn't see him, Hull put on full sail and ran away while the British ships were still on short sail, waiting for the "storm" to arrive.