Posted on 01/11/2019 2:36:39 PM PST by BenLurkin
What they need to do is somehow do gradual acclimation to gravity. Or maybe come up with a device to manipulate the discs back in during gravity acclimation.
A configuration with a radius of 225 meters and a rotation of 2 RPMs will give you 1 earth gravity.
I think this scale of structure is do-able, maybe a bit of a stretch goal. Certainly a fraction of this is within current reach, when one looks at the 100m truss length of the ISS.
However, from what I can see, the biggest pain in the rear is where the spinning section meets the stationary central core. How do you do power hookup? Mechanical hookup that is robust and can take a torque? Not to mention if the stationary central core is habitable or needs service, how do the astronauts move between sections?
(Perhaps having the entire structure rotate is the solution for a robust craft that we can implement now.)
There are some exercises that they do, but we are still learning how the human body reacts to long periods of living in microgravity.
Course corrections when in this configuration are not possible.
Not sure there are any bearings. I think the idea is to spin the whole thing. That’s how it was presented in 2001. Not sure how it was supposed to work in Babylon 5 ...
I feel you. I had surgery back in April. It’s gotten worse.
I would LOVE to see that happen to a dog. I hate dogs. They bite people.
“[L]ong-duration space travel causes crippling back pain that can last for up to four YEARS”
lots of other things can cause that too ... even WITHOUT going into space ...
Magnetic levitation in some of the Sci fi.
Centrifugal force to create artificial gravity has been the obvious solution for years and years.
Why do we not plan future builds with this in mind?
Old time 2 inch VTR quad machines used air bearings to enable the headwheel to run fast enough.
I could still set up an AVR 2 or 6 Ampex.
Another useless skill.
Lawrence D. Roberts, Space law & policy academic
Answered May 28, 2012 · Author has 154 answers and 256.2k answer views
A space station designed as a rotating torus offers two important benefits for astronauts. By generating a centripetal force equivalent to gravity, the human body is spared the significant degradation of bone and muscle tissue that occurs when exposed to microgravity. In addition, the simulated effect of gravity eliminates the Space Adaptation Syndrome (NASA speak for “space sickness”) experienced by up to 90% of astronauts.
Unfortunately, these benefits are outweighed by the need to produce a safe and reliable station configuration that is both cost effective and tailored for the primary scientific goals of the project.
The International Space Station (the “ISS”) was designed as a laboratory for examining the space environment and the effects of micro-gravity in particular. These objectives would be defeated or seriously undermined with a design that rotated. Any observational instruments or experiments would have to be motion-isolated from the habitation structure (a proposition that would likely never provide as ideal an experimental environment as a zero gravity facility) or placed in a completely separate, free flying, configuration. Either way, this would require costly, additional construction. Moreover, the stresses posed by the rotation would mandate further design consideration (and possibly experimentation) and mass to compensate for the increased stresses on the structure (all of the above leading to dramatic increases in cost). Also, there are reliability issues with any stability mechanism.
The early ISS iterations did include a human rated centrifuge with a variable rate rotation capability. The intent was to conduct experiments on the space station crew to determine the ideal level of simulated gravitational exposure to defeat micro-gravity related atrophy. Unfortunately, the centrifuge was diminished and ultimately eliminated from the US station budget during the various redesigns in the 1990s. As an alternative, however, an effort was made to include the more limited, Japanese Centrifuge Accommodations Module (the “CAM”) on the ISS (the cost was borne by the Japanese government in exchange for launching the Kibo science module to the ISS via the space shuttle). Unfortunately, the CAM was canceled in 2005.
9k Views · View 16 Upvoters
“Blindness”
Hadn’t heard about this so did some research.
Not really blindness but a change in the shape of the eye so a change in their glasses prescription. Has to do with intracranial pressure.
Interesting. Thanks.
Cool link!
“even WITHOUT going into space …”
Birthdays are the major cause of back pain.
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