Aeronautical Flight Control
Current aeronautical flight controls rely mostly on a “Fly-by-Wire (FBW)” method that controls flight changes using computers to process the flight control inputs made by the pilot or autopilot, and send corresponding electrical signals to the flight control surface actuators.
This arrangement replaces mechanical linkage and means that the pilot inputs do not directly move the control surfaces. Instead, inputs are read by a computer that in turn determines how to move the control surfaces.
As the control surface changes position relative to the airplane the resulting forces alter the planes position dependent upon their interaction with the airflow around the plane. In the vacuum of space such surfaces have nothing to work against.
A simple example of earlier “Fly-by wire” mechanics is shown here:
Figure 1 Simple fly by wire flight control system
Figure 2 Movement through air[1]
The image below shows more of the mechanisms involved in general flight and each of these mechanisms need to be duplicated on a star ship control panel to achieve vectoring from your plane to another within the 360 degree bubble of spaceflight.
Figure 3
In space, the same movements would control a starships direction relative to its trajectory but some form of thrust must be applied to accomplish the same movements. In addition, space offers the option of moving sideways while maintaining the same plane and also vertical lift and drop. This requires a more comprehensive set of controls as we just added 4 more directional possibilities. Your typical yoke or joy stick would have difficulty doing this so another form of control is required.
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