Thruster
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.
A thruster system relies on Newton's Third Law. This states that "every action must have an equal and opposite reaction."
Positively and negatively charged particles are separated. Using a set of magnetic fields, these particles are accelerated to the direction, opposite to the direction the starship or other body is trying to reach. Due to the impulse of these particles as they're expelled, a force acts on the body in the opposite direction, equal to the force with which the particles are expelled. As a result, the body is accelerated in this direction.
Charged particles are a side-effect of many quantum level reactions, such as matter-antimatter reactions. As a result, charged particles that can be used for the thruster systems can be found as a warp core by-product.
The shuttlepod piloted by Travis Mayweather in Vulcan's orbit in 2154 lost their thrusters after they were hit several times by two Vulcan fighters. (ENT: "Awakening")
The stress of a Romulan tractor beam caused sub-microscopic deformations in the structural integrity, specially the nose section and aft thrusters of the type 15 shuttlepod Onizuka. (TNG: "The Mind's Eye")
A year later, forward thrusters of the type 15 shuttlepod Campbell failed when the shuttle was trying to land on a moon of Mab-Bu VI. (TNG: "Power Play")
When Captain Jean-Luc Picard was under the control of the Kataan probe by means of a nucleonic beam, Commander William T. Riker slowly moved the USS Enterprise-D away from the probe, using thrusters only at 100 kph. (TNG: "The Inner Light")
Klingon Birds of Prey were equipped with bow thrusters. In late 2373, first officer Worf ordered bow thrusters ahead one half as he undocked the IKS Rotarran from Deep Space 9's docking ring. (DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire")
[edit] Types of thrusters
- Bow thrusters
- Control thrusters
- Guidance thrusters
- Landing thrusters
- Parabolic thrusters
- Polarity thrusters
- RCS thrusters
- Sub-impulse thrusters
