Walt Bevan
The significant advantage this provides would undoubtedly represent a major deviation from current standards of design. However, with careful application of detrimental effects, the part can be balanced, without being mandatory, or overpowered. Four primary areas of negative impact provide immediate and irrefutable cause for consideration: Weight, volatility, power consumption, and size. Increased weight, which is logically mandated for a flywheel system, reduces rate of linear acceleration. Increased volatility, due to stored kinetic energy, can surpass a generator in representative danger, due to inclusion of shrapnel mass inside a ship explosion. Power consumption can be adjusted to make the part less efficient overall than thrusters, rendering generation ineffectual in combat, unlike thrusters. The final primary concern of size presents a physical constraint that motivates creative design to accommodate an adequate size/number of reaction wheels.
That the benefits are apparent is justification for addition, while providing opportunities for compensation that expand variability in composition.
