The article talks about what gravity is, what gravity is on other planets, why it arises, why it is needed, as well as its effect on various organisms.
Space
People dreamed about traveling to the stars from ancient times, starting from the time when the first astronomers examined other planets of our system and their satellites with primitive telescopes, which means, in their opinion, they could be inhabited.
Many centuries have passed since then, but alas, interplanetary flights and even more so flights to other stars are impossible now. And the only extraterrestrial object visited by the researchers is the moon. But already at the beginning of the 20th century, scientists knew that gravity on other planets is different from ours. But why? What is it, why does it arise and can it be destructive? We will analyze these issues.
A bit of physics
Even Isaac Newton developed a theory according to which any two objects experience mutual gravity. On the scale of the cosmos and the Universe as a whole, such a phenomenon manifests itself very clearly. The most striking example is our planet and the Moon, which, precisely due to gravity, rotates around the Earth. We see the manifestation of gravity in everyday life, we just got used to it and do not pay attention at all. This is the so-called gravitational force. It is because of her that we do not soar in the air, but calmly walk on the ground. It also helps to keep our atmosphere from gradually fading into space. With us, it is conditional 1 G, but what is the gravity on other planets?
Mars
Mars is most physically similar to our planet. Of course, living there is problematic due to lack of air and water, but it is located in the so-called habitable zone. True, it is very conditional. It has no terrifying heat like on Venus, centuries-old storms like on Jupiter, and absolute cold like on Titan. And the scientists of recent decades have not abandoned attempts to come up with methods for its terraforming, creating suitable living conditions without spacesuits. However, what is the phenomenon of gravity on Mars? It is 0.38 g from the earth, it is about half that. This means that on the red planet you can jump and jump much higher than on Earth, and all the burdens will also weigh much less. And this is quite enough to keep not only its present, “frail” and liquid atmosphere, but also much more dense.
True, it is too early to talk about terraformation, because for starters you need to at least just land on it and establish constant and reliable flights. But still, gravity on Mars is quite suitable for the living of future settlers.
Venus
Another planet closest to us (except the Moon) is Venus. This is a world with monstrous conditions and an incredibly dense atmosphere, for which no one has been able to look beyond for a long time. By the way, its presence was discovered by none other than Mikhail Lomonosov.
The atmosphere is the cause of the greenhouse effect and the terrifying average surface temperature of 467 degrees Celsius! Precipitation from sulfuric acid is constantly falling on the planet and lakes of liquid tin boil. Such an inhospitable planet Venus. Its gravity is 0.904 G from the earth, which is almost identical.
She is also a candidate for terraforming, and for the first time its surface reached the Soviet research station on August 17, 1970.
Jupiter
Another planet of the solar system. Rather, the gas giant, consisting mainly of hydrogen, which is closer to the surface due to monstrous pressure becomes liquid. By the way, it’s estimated that in its depths a thermonuclear reaction will one day erupt , and we will have two suns. But if this happens, then, to put it mildly, not soon, so you should not worry. Gravity on Jupiter is 2.535 g relative to Earth.
Moon
As already mentioned, the only object of our system (except the Earth), where people have been, is the Moon. True, disputes have still not abated whether those landings were a reality or a hoax. However, due to its low mass, gravity on the surface is only 0.165 g from the earth.
The effect of gravity on living organisms
The force of gravity also has various effects on living things. Simply put, when other inhabited worlds are discovered, we will see that their inhabitants are very different from each other depending on the mass of their planets. For example, if the Moon was inhabited, then very tall and fragile creatures would inhabit it, and vice versa, on a planet weighing Jupiter, the inhabitants would be very low, strong and massive. Otherwise, on weak limbs in such conditions you simply cannot survive with all desire.
The force of gravity will play an important role in the future colonization of the same Mars. According to the laws of biology, if you do not use something, then it will gradually atrophy. Cosmonauts from the ISS on Earth are greeted with chairs on wheels, since their muscles are involved in zero gravity very little, and even regular strength training does not help. So the offspring of colonists on other planets will be at least higher and physically weaker than their ancestors.
So we figured out what gravity is on other planets.