Why do space ships in sci fi shows and movies have them using thrusters in space?

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Griffmonkez

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I don't understand why people would think that you would need to use thrusters in empty space when since there isn't any friction if there is any in space? So wouldn't they just be propelled by their own kinetic energy? The only reason I would use thrusters is to stop, turn, or pull it out of the gravity of a large object? so why do people think they'll need to continually use their thrusters and fuel in space travel?
 
There's always friction, in space there is just very, very little friction. They would be propelled by their own momentum, but that momentum needs to be created. An object at rest stays at rest, unless it uses thrusters. Then, an object in motion stays in motion, but gradually it will slow down because space is not a complete vacuum. But yeah, you could probably coast on a good thrust for a few hundred miles or what not.
 
Griffmonkez, I've asked this before and have came to the conclusion that few people like us are intelligent enough to notice this. It started from Star Wars, and people were afraid to cut it from their movies because they would say "Oh, well people would notice that our spaceship isn't like Star Wars with vectoring thrusters/hypersonic afterburners instead of that we are being scientifically correct" so they keep them in. Either way, people are going to notice their flaws like we did
As much as the directing and movie/video industry seems clever, it really isn't that sly and cunning.
 
It actually could make sense, within certain limits. The next generation of interplanetary motors will probably be low thrust, high-impulse designs like ion engines or VASIMIR thrusters. These would realistically be employed with long burns, both at departure and arrival, with a 'turn-over' at mid-point to get from point A to B the fastest. Space is, after all, big, and any intensive manned exploration of Mars and beyond is going to depend upon our ability to get there in less than two years.

That said, if you're thinking of Star Wars and the like, they're a sub-genre called Space Opera, and don't really sweat the technological details or physics. Don't think too hard about them, because any underlying notion of science gets pretty nonsensical beyond the surface technobabble.
 
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