Calculating Artificial Gravity for a Rotating Space Station

In summary, the conversation discusses the possibility of creating artificial gravity in a spaceship by rotating it, in order to combat the negative effects of zero gravity on the human body during a mission to Mars. However, there is a debate about whether this method would actually work, as some argue that acceleration is still needed for gravity to be felt and that constant acceleration is not possible over such a great distance. The conversation also touches on the concept of acceleration being identifiable in every reference frame.
  • #36
Using the Earth as an example in your comments is like comparing infinity to a grain of sand ... in order to affect the spin of the Earth you would require a large cause (like the collision that created the moon) ... unless you are going to build another planet for your spaceship I would submit this is not a valid comparison. It is all about scale.

The MASS of said Space object would have to be big enough and or have enough means (fuel) to counterbalance any changes using technology perhaps similar to how the automotive industry uses weights in wheels and or crankshafts. You might be able to have movable counter weights and or use puff jets. Or somehow build a gyroscope that a human could survive in.

The effects of a spinning spacecraft where you are only tethered by your shoes I expect would not be trivial again this is all about scale ... there is little deviation in how the Earth moves and we are moving at the same speed due to gravity ... in a spinning spacecraft there is no gravity and the scale of this artificial force wouldn't be big enough I warrant for a human to NOT notice inner ear issues when moving in different directions.

If you take a bowl of water and spin the bowl there is a tendency for any solid in water to slowly migrate to the bowl due in most part to the friction of the viscosity of the fluid water... the viscosity of the "AIR" in the case of a space craft, is not as great as water (unless you now want to have an aquatic environment and grow gills) so again I propose that if a person is NOT tethered to the outside circumference surface, I highly doubt there would be any noticeable/usable gravitational effect artificial or otherwise. My prediction would be anything not tied down would become a projectile.
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
  • #37
BugsBunny said:
Uso again I propose that if a person is NOT tethered to the outside circumference surface, I highly doubt there would be any noticeable/usable gravitational effect artificial or otherwise. My prediction would be anything not tied down would become a projectile.

Don't guess, calculate it. Assume that the radius of the space station is, for simplicity, 100 meters. What speed must the outer rim move at to produce a centripetal acceleration of 1g at the rim? How much different will the speed and acceleration be at a distance of 98 meters from the center, where the head of a tall person standing on the rim would be located?

(The formula for centripetal acceleration is ##a=\frac{v^2}{r}##)
 
Back
Top