Even a person who is not interested in space has ever seen a film about space travel or read about such things in books. In almost all such works, people walk the ship, sleep normally, do not experience problems with eating. This means that these - made-up - ships have artificial gravity. Most viewers perceive this as something completely natural, but this is not at all true.
Artificial gravity
This is the name of the change (in either direction) of gravity that is familiar to us through the application of various methods. And this is done not only in fantastic works, but also in very real earthly situations, most often for experiments.
In theory, the creation of artificial gravity does not look so complicated. For example, it can be recreated using inertia, or rather, centrifugal force. The need for this power did not arise yesterday - it happened immediately, as soon as a person began to dream of long space flights. The creation of artificial gravity in space will make it possible to avoid many problems that arise when one is in zero gravity for a long time. In astronauts, muscles weaken, bones become less strong. Traveling in such conditions for months, you can get atrophy of some muscles.
Thus, today the creation of artificial gravity is a task of paramount importance, space exploration without this skill is simply impossible.
Materiel
Even those who know physics only at the school curriculum level understand that gravity is one of the fundamental laws of our world: all bodies interact with each other, experiencing mutual attraction / repulsion. The larger the body, the higher its gravity.
Earth for our reality - the object is very massive. That is why, without exception, all the bodies around her are attracted to her.
For us, this means the acceleration of gravity, which is usually measured in g, equal to 9.8 meters per square second. This means that if we had no support under our feet, we would fall at a speed that increases by 9.8 meters every second.
Thus, only thanks to gravity we are able to stand, fall, eat and drink normally, understand where the top is, where the bottom is. If gravity disappears, we will end up in zero gravity.
Cosmonauts who are in space in a state of soaring - free fall are especially familiar with this phenomenon.
Theoretically, scientists know how to create artificial gravity. There are several techniques.
Large mass
The most logical option is to make the spaceship so large that artificial gravity appears on it. On the ship it will be possible to feel comfortable, since the orientation in space will not be lost.
Unfortunately, this method is unrealistic with the current development of technology. To build such an object requires too many resources. In addition, an incredible amount of energy will be required to lift it.
Acceleration
It would seem that if you want to reach g equal to the earthly one, you just need to give the ship a flat (platform-like) shape, and make it move along the perpendicular to the plane with the desired acceleration. In this way, artificial gravity will be obtained, and - ideal.
However, in reality, everything is much more complicated.
First of all, it is worth considering the fuel issue. In order for the station to constantly accelerate, it is necessary to have an uninterrupted power supply. Even if an engine suddenly appears that does not throw out matter, the law of conservation of energy will remain in effect.
The second problem is the very idea of constant acceleration. According to our knowledge and physical laws, it is impossible to accelerate to infinity.
In addition, such transport is not suitable for research missions, since it must constantly accelerate - fly. He will not be able to stop to study the planet, he will not even be able to fly slowly around it - he must accelerate.
Thus, it becomes clear that such artificial gravity is not yet available to us.
Carousel
Everyone knows how the rotation of the carousel affects the body. Therefore, the device of artificial gravity by this principle seems the most real.
Everything that is in the diameter of the carousel tends to fall out of it at a speed approximately equal to the speed of rotation. It turns out that a force acts on the bodies along the radius of a rotating object. This is very similar to gravity.
So, a ship having a cylindrical shape is required. In this case, it should rotate around its axis. Incidentally, artificial gravity on a spaceship, created by this principle, is often shown in science fiction films.
A barrel-shaped ship, rotating around a longitudinal axis, creates a centrifugal force, the direction of which corresponds to the radius of the object. To calculate the resulting acceleration, it is necessary to divide the force by mass.
People who know physics should not be at all difficult to calculate: a = ω²R.
In this formula, the calculation result is acceleration, the first variable is the nodal velocity (measured in the number of radians per second), the second is the radius.
According to this, in order to get familiar to us g, it is necessary to correctly combine the angular velocity and the radius of space transport.
A similar problem is highlighted in films such as Intersol, Babylon 5, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the like. In all these cases, artificial gravity is close to the Earth's acceleration of gravity.
No matter how good the idea is, implementing it is quite difficult.
Problems of the carousel method
The most obvious problem is highlighted in the Space Odyssey. The radius of the "space carrier" is about 8 meters. In order to get acceleration in 9.8, the rotation must occur at a speed of approximately 10.5 revolutions every minute.
At these values, the “Coriolis effect" is manifested, which consists in the fact that different forces act at different distances from the floor. It directly depends on the angular velocity.
It turns out that artificial gravity in space will be created, but rotation of the body too fast will lead to problems with the inner ear. This, in turn, causes imbalances, problems with the vestibular apparatus and other - similar - difficulties.
The appearance of this barrier suggests that such a model is extremely unsuccessful.
You can try to go from the opposite, as was done in the novel "Mir-Ring". Here the ship is made in the form of a ring, the radius of which is close to the radius of our orbit (about 150 million km). With this size, its rotation speed is enough to ignore the Coriolis effect.
It can be assumed that the problem has been resolved, but this is not at all the case. The fact is that a complete revolution of this design around its axis takes 9 days. This suggests that the load will be too large. In order for their design to withstand, a very strong material is needed, which we do not have today. In addition, the problem is the amount of material and the construction process itself.
In games of similar subjects, as in the movie "Babylon 5", these problems are somehow solved: the rotation speed is quite sufficient, the Coriolis effect is not significant, it is possible to create such a ship hypothetically.
However, even such worlds have a drawback. His name is the moment of impulse.
The ship, rotating around its axis, turns into a huge gyroscope. As you know, it is extremely difficult to make the gyroscope deviate from the axis due to the angular momentum. It is important that its quantity does not leave the system. This means that setting the direction to this object will be very difficult. However, this problem can be solved.
Solution
Artificial gravity at the space station becomes available when the O'Neill Cylinder comes to the rescue. To create this design, identical cylindrical ships are needed that are connected along the axis. They must rotate in different directions. The result of this assembly is a zero angular momentum, so there should be no difficulty in giving the ship the necessary direction.
If it is possible to make a ship with a radius of about 500 meters, then it will work just as it should. At the same time, artificial gravity in space will be quite comfortable and suitable for long flights on ships or research stations.
Space engineers
How to create artificial gravity is known to the creators of the game. However, in this fantastic world, gravity is not a mutual attraction of bodies, but a linear force designed to accelerate objects in a given direction. The attraction here is not absolute; it changes when the source is redirected.
Artificial gravity on a space station is created by using a special generator. It is uniform and equally directed in the area of the generator. So, in the real world, falling under the ship in which the generator is installed, you would be attracted to the hull. However, in the game the hero will fall until he leaves the perimeter of the device.
To date, artificial gravity in space created by such a device is not available to humanity. However, even gray-haired developers do not stop dreaming about it.
Spherical generator
This is a more realistic version of the equipment. When installed, gravity has a direction to the generator. This makes it possible to create a station whose gravity will be equal to planetary.
Centrifuge
Today, artificial gravity on Earth is found in various devices. They are based, for the most part, on inertia, since this force is felt by us similarly to the gravitational effect - the body does not distinguish which cause causes acceleration. As an example: a person rising in an elevator experiences the effect of inertia. Through the eyes of a physicist: raising an elevator adds acceleration to the cabin to accelerate gravity. When the cab returns to the measured movement, the “gain” in weight disappears, returning the usual sensations.
Scientists have long been interested in artificial gravity. A centrifuge is most often used for these purposes. This method is suitable not only for spacecraft, but also for ground stations, in which it is necessary to study the effect of gravity on the human body.
Explore on Earth, apply in ...
Although the study of gravity began from space, it is a very earthly science. Even today, advances in this area have found their application, for example, in medicine. Knowing whether it is possible to create artificial gravity on the planet, you can use it to treat problems with the motor apparatus or nervous system. Moreover, the study of this force is primarily done on Earth. This allows the astronauts to conduct experiments, while remaining under the scrutiny of doctors. Another thing is artificial gravity in space, there are no people who can help astronauts in the event of an unforeseen situation.
Bearing in mind the complete weightlessness, it is impossible to take into account a satellite in low Earth orbit. These objects, albeit to a small extent, are affected by gravity. The force of gravity formed in such cases is called microgravity. Real gravity is only experienced in a vehicle flying at a constant speed in outer space. However, the human body does not feel this difference.
You can experience weightlessness with a long jump (before the canopy opens) or during a parabolic descent of the aircraft. Such experiments are often performed in the USA, but on a plane this sensation lasts only 40 seconds - it is too little for a full study.
As far back as 1973, the USSR knew whether artificial gravity could be created. And not just created it, but in some way changed it. A vivid example of the artificial reduction of gravity is dry immersion, immersion. To achieve the desired effect, you need to put a dense film on the surface of the water. A man is placed on top of her. Under the weight of the body, the body plunges under water, only the head remains above. This model demonstrates the low gravity support that is characteristic of the ocean.
There is no need to go into space in order to feel the effect of the opposite weightlessness of force - hypergravity. During takeoff and landing of a spacecraft in a centrifuge, overload can not only be felt, but also studied.
Gravity treatment
Gravitational physics also studies the effect of weightlessness on the human body, trying to minimize the consequences. However, a large number of achievements of this science can be useful to ordinary inhabitants of the planet.
Doctors have high hopes for studying the behavior of muscle enzymes in myopathy. This is a serious illness leading to early death.
With active physical activity, a large amount of the creatinophosphokinase enzyme enters the bloodstream of a healthy person. The reason for this phenomenon is unclear, perhaps the load acts on the cell membrane in such a way that it "holes". Patients with myopathy get the same effect without stress. Observations of astronauts show that in zero gravity the flow of the active enzyme into the blood is significantly reduced. Such a discovery suggests that the use of immersion will reduce the negative impact of factors leading to myopathy. At the moment, experiments are being conducted on animals.
Some diseases are already being treated today using data obtained in the study of gravity, including artificial. For example, the treatment of cerebral palsy, strokes, Parkinson through the use of load-bearing suits. Almost completed research on the positive effects of the support - the pneumatic shoe.
Will we fly to Mars?
The latest achievements of astronauts give hope for the reality of the project. There is experience of medical support for a person with a long stay away from Earth. Research flights to the Moon brought much benefit as well, on which the gravitational force is 6 times less than our own. Now astronauts and scientists set themselves a new goal - Mars.
Before you get in line for a ticket to the Red Planet, you should know what the body expects at the first stage of work - on the way. On average, the road to a desert planet will take a year and a half - about 500 days. You will have to rely on the journey only on your own strength, there is simply nowhere to wait for help.
Many factors will undermine forces: stress, radiation, lack of a magnetic field. The most important test for the body is a change in gravity. On a trip, a person will “get acquainted” with several levels of gravity. First of all, it is overload during take-off. Then - zero gravity during the flight. After that - hypogravity at the destination, because gravity on Mars is less than 40% of the earth.
How to cope with the negative effects of weightlessness on a long flight? It is hoped that developments in the field of creating artificial gravity will help solve this issue in the near future. Experiments on rats traveling on Cosmos-936 show that this technique does not solve all problems.
OS experience has shown that the use of training complexes that can determine the necessary load for each cosmonaut individually can bring much more benefit to the body.
So far, it is believed that not only researchers, but also tourists who wish to establish a colony on the Red Planet will fly to Mars. For them, in any case, at first, the feeling of being in zero gravity will outweigh all the arguments of doctors about the dangers of being in such conditions for a long time. However, after a few weeks, they will also need help, so it is so important to be able to find a way to create artificial gravity on a spaceship.
Summary
What conclusions can be drawn about the creation of artificial gravity in space?
Among all the options currently being considered, the most realistic design is the rotating design. However, with the current understanding of physical laws, this is impossible, since the ship is not a hollow cylinder. Inside it there are overlaps that impede the realization of ideas.
In addition, the radius of the ship should be so large that the Coriolis effect does not have a significant effect.
To control something similar, the O'Neill cylinder mentioned above is required, which will make it possible to control the ship. .
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