- #1
Paul Wilson
- 49
- 0
Hi
As I'm sure we're all aware, there are many planned missions to Mars.
Given its distance (some 3 years away given today's tech) by the time any humans make it there, their muscles would be completely useless on account of wastage as a result of no gravity.
Therefore, artificial gravity is proposed in the form of a rotating spaceship.
Though that got me thinking; would it actually work?
I think it wouldn't.
Let's say a ship is moving at a constant along a vector (x axis) at 5000 m/s relative to the launch pad. Everyone in that ship, relative to the ship, is moving at 0 m/s. Then someone jumps along the same vector at 1 m/s. That person is then moving at 5001 m/s relative to the launch pad.
The Captain decides to begin revolving the ship at 10rpm along the x axis.
During that acceleration period from revolving at 0rpm to 10rpm, everyone is 'stuck to the floor' as the ship has greater velocity than they do.
And this is where my thinking comes into play.
The ship has reached its maximum revs/minute along the x-axis, at 10rpm, its velocity still at 5000 m/s.
Surely anyone 'stuck to the floor' is now ALSO moving 10 m/s relative to the ship and thus if they were to jump at 1/ms would then be moving at 1 m/s relative to the ship thus cancel out the 'artificial-gravity'
Or in other words, artificial gravity is impossible unless the ship is under constant acceleration which, as we know, is impossible given the effects of mass at great speeds.
Thoughts?
As I'm sure we're all aware, there are many planned missions to Mars.
Given its distance (some 3 years away given today's tech) by the time any humans make it there, their muscles would be completely useless on account of wastage as a result of no gravity.
Therefore, artificial gravity is proposed in the form of a rotating spaceship.
Though that got me thinking; would it actually work?
I think it wouldn't.
Let's say a ship is moving at a constant along a vector (x axis) at 5000 m/s relative to the launch pad. Everyone in that ship, relative to the ship, is moving at 0 m/s. Then someone jumps along the same vector at 1 m/s. That person is then moving at 5001 m/s relative to the launch pad.
The Captain decides to begin revolving the ship at 10rpm along the x axis.
During that acceleration period from revolving at 0rpm to 10rpm, everyone is 'stuck to the floor' as the ship has greater velocity than they do.
And this is where my thinking comes into play.
The ship has reached its maximum revs/minute along the x-axis, at 10rpm, its velocity still at 5000 m/s.
Surely anyone 'stuck to the floor' is now ALSO moving 10 m/s relative to the ship and thus if they were to jump at 1/ms would then be moving at 1 m/s relative to the ship thus cancel out the 'artificial-gravity'
Or in other words, artificial gravity is impossible unless the ship is under constant acceleration which, as we know, is impossible given the effects of mass at great speeds.
Thoughts?