Artificial gravity and ways to create it

Even a person who is not interested in space has at least once seen a film about space travel or read about such things in books. Almost in all such works people go around the ship, sleep normally, do not experience problems with food intake. This means that on these - fictitious - ships there is artificial gravity. Most viewers perceive this as something completely natural, but this is not so.

Artificial gravity

This is the name for the change (in either direction) of the usual gravity for us by applying 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 difficult. For example, it can be recreated by inertia, more precisely, by centrifugal force. The need for this power arose not 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 the multitude of problems that arise during prolonged exposure to zero gravity. The cosmonauts weaken muscles, the bones become less durable. Traveling in these conditions for months, you can get atrophy of some muscles.

Thus, to date the creation of artificial gravity is a task of paramount importance, the exploration of the cosmos without this skill is simply impossible.

Matrimony

Even those who know physics only at the level of the school curriculum 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 force of attraction.

The earth is for our reality - the object is very massive. That's why all bodies without exception are attracted to it.

For us, this means acceleration of free fall, 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 have fallen at a speed increasing 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 the attraction disappears - we will be in weightlessness.

Especially familiar with this phenomenon are astronauts who find themselves in space in a state of soaring - free fall.

Theoretically, scientists know how to create artificial gravity. There are several methods.

Greater mass

The most logical option is to make the spacecraft so large that artificial gravity arises on it. On the ship it will be possible to feel comfortable, since orientation in space will not be lost.

Unfortunately, this method is unrealistic with the modern development of technologies. To build such an object requires too many resources. In addition, to raise it will require an incredible amount of energy.

Acceleration

It would seem that if you want to achieve g, equal to the earth, 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 necessary to take into account the fuel issue. In order for the station to be constantly accelerated, it is necessary to have an uninterrupted power supply. Even if a motor suddenly appears, not throwing matter, the law of conservation of energy will remain in force.

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, as it must constantly accelerate - to fly. He can not stop to study the planet, he will not even be able to slowly fly around it - we 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 gravitation by this principle seems most real.

All that is in the diameter of the carousel, tends to fall out of it at a speed roughly equal to the speed of rotation. It turns out that the force acting along the radius of the rotating object acts on the bodies. It's very similar to gravity.

So, you need a ship that has a cylindrical shape. In this case, it must rotate about its axis. Incidentally, artificial gravity on a spaceship, created by this principle, is often demonstrated in science fiction films.

The barrel-shaped ship, rotating around the 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 into mass.

Knowing physics people find it will not be very difficult: a = ω²R.

In this formula, the result of calculations is acceleration, the first variable is the node speed (measured in the number of radians per second), the second is the radius.

According to this, to obtain the usual g, it is necessary to competently combine the angular velocity and the radius of space transport.

A similar problem is highlighted in such films as "Intersolah", "Babylon 5", "2001: Space Odyssey" and the like. In all these cases, artificial gravity is approximated to the earth's acceleration of gravity.

No matter how good the idea, it is quite difficult to realize it.

The problems of the "carousel" method

The most obvious problem is covered in the "Space Odyssey". The radius of the "space carrier" is about 8 meters. In order to obtain an acceleration of 9.8, rotation should occur at a speed of about 10.5 turns every minute.

With the indicated values, the "Coriolis effect" manifests itself, which consists in the fact that a different force acts on the different distances from the floor. It depends directly on the angular velocity.

It turns out that artificial gravity in space will be created, but too fast rotation of the body will lead to problems with the inner ear. This, in turn, causes imbalances, problems with the vestibular apparatus and others - similar - difficulties.

The emergence of this barrier suggests that such a model is extremely unsuccessful.

You can try to go from the opposite, as they did in the novel "The World-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, the speed of its rotation is quite enough to ignore the Coriolis effect.

We can assume that the problem is solved, but this is not so. The fact is that the complete turnover of this design around its axis takes 9 days. This makes it possible to assume that the loads will be too great. In order to survive the construction, a very strong material is needed, which we do not have at the moment. In addition, the problem is the amount of material and the construction process itself.

In games of a similar theme, as in the film "Babylon 5", these problems are somehow solved: the rotation speed is quite sufficient, the Coriolis effect is not essential, it is possible to create such a ship hypothetically.

However, even such worlds have a disadvantage. His name is the moment of the impulse.

The ship, rotating around the axis, turns into a huge gyroscope. As is known, it is extremely difficult to force the gyroscope to deviate from the axis due to the angular momentum. It is important that its quantity does not leave the system. This means that it will be very difficult to set the direction for this object. However, such a problem can be solved.

Solution

Artificial gravity on the space station becomes available when the "O'Neill cylinder" comes to the rescue. To create this design, you need identical cylindrical ships that are connected along the axis. They must rotate in different directions. The result of such an assembly is the zero moment of the pulse, so there should be no difficulties with 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 exactly 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 the space station is created by using a special generator. It is uniform and equidirectional in the range of the generator. So, in the real world, hitting 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, the artificial gravity in space, created by such a device, is unavailable for mankind. However, even gray-haired developers do not cease to dream 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 occurs in various devices. They are based, mostly, on inertia, because this force is felt by us similarly to gravitational influence - the organism does not distinguish what causes the acceleration. As an example: a person climbing in an elevator, is affected by inertia. With the eyes of a physicist: lifting the elevator adds acceleration to the acceleration of the cabin to accelerating the free fall. When the cockpit returns to a measured movement, the "gain" in weight disappears, returning the usual sensations.

Scientists have long been interested in artificial gravity. The centrifuge is used for this purpose most often. This method is suitable not only for spacecraft, but also for ground stations in which it is required to study the effect of gravity on the human body.

Learn on Earth, apply in ...

Although the study of gravity began from outer space, it is a very earthly science. Even today achievements in this field 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 the nervous system. Moreover, the study of this force is primarily concerned with the earth. This makes it possible for cosmonauts to conduct experiments, remaining under the close 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 full weightlessness, one can not take into account a satellite in a near-earth orbit. These objects, albeit to a small extent, are affected by gravity. Gravity, formed in such cases, is called microgravity. Real gravity is experienced only in a vehicle flying at a constant speed in open space. However, the human body does not feel this difference.

You can experience weightlessness with a long jump (before the dome opens) or during the parabolic descent of the aircraft. Such experiments are often put in the US, but on the plane this sensation lasts only 40 seconds - it's too little for a full study.

In the USSR, back in 1973, they knew if it was possible to create artificial gravity. And they did not just create it, but also in some way changed it. A vivid example of artificial reduction of gravity is dry immersion, immersion. To achieve the desired effect, it is required to put a dense film on the water surface. The person is placed on top of it. Under the weight of the body, the body submerges under water, only the head remains above it. This model demonstrates unsupportedness with reduced gravity, which is characteristic of the ocean.

There is no need to go into space to feel the effect of the opposite weightlessness of the force - hypergravity. With the take-off and landing of the spacecraft, in the centrifuge, the overload can not only be felt, but also studied.

Treatment with gravity

Gravitational physics studies, among other things, the effect of weightlessness on the human body, seeking to minimize the consequences. However, a large number of achievements of this science can be useful to ordinary inhabitants of the planet.

The physicians place great hopes on studies of the behavior of muscle enzymes in myopathy. This is a serious illness leading to early death.

With active physical exercises, a large volume of the enzyme creatinophosphokinase enters the blood of a healthy person. The cause of this phenomenon is unclear, perhaps the load acts on the cell membrane in such a way that it "perforates". Patients with myopathy receive the same effect without exercise. Observations of cosmonauts show that in the absence of weight, the entry of the active enzyme into the blood decreases significantly. This discovery suggests that the use of immersion will reduce the negative impact of the factors leading to myopathy. At the moment, experiments are conducted on animals.

Some of the diseases are treated today using the data obtained in the study of gravity, including artificial. For example, treatment of cerebral palsy, strokes, Parkinson by applying load suits is carried out. Practically finished studies of the positive effects of the support - the pneumatic shoe.

Shall we fly to Mars?

The latest achievements of cosmonauts give hope for the reality of the project. There is an experience of medical support for a person with a long stay away from the Earth. Many research flights to the Moon brought a lot of usefulness, the gravitational force on which is 6 times less than our native one. Now astronauts and scientists are setting a new goal - Mars.

Before you queue for a ticket to the Red Planet, you should know what awaits the body at the first stage of work - on the road. On the average, the road to the desert planet will take a year and a half - about 500 days. Counting on the road will have only to their own strength, there is nowhere to wait for help.

There are many factors that will undermine the strength: stress, radiation, the absence of a magnetic field. The most important test for the body is the change in gravity. In the journey, a person "gets acquainted" with several levels of gravity. First of all, this is overload during take-off. Then - weightlessness during the flight. After that - hypogravity at the destination, because gravity on Mars is less than 40% of the earth's gravity.

How do you cope with the negative impact of weightlessness in 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 to Cosmos-936 show that this technique does not solve all the problems.

OS experience has shown that much more useful for the body can bring the use of training complexes that can determine the necessary load for each astronaut individually.

While it is believed that not only explorers will fly to Mars, but also tourists who want to establish a colony on the Red Planet. For them, at least for the first time, the sensations of being in weightlessness will outweigh all the doctors' arguments about the dangers of prolonged exposure in such conditions. However, in a few weeks, they will need help, so it is so important to be able to find a way to create artificial gravity on the spacecraft.

Results

What conclusions can be drawn about the creation of artificial gravity in space?

Among all the options considered at the moment, the rotating construction looks the most realistic. However, with the current understanding of physical laws, this is impossible, because the ship is not a hollow cylinder. Inside it there are floors that interfere with the embodiment of ideas.

In addition, the radius of the ship must be so large that the Coriolis effect does not have a significant effect.

To manage something like this, you need the O'Neill cylinder mentioned above, which will enable you to control the ship. In this case, the chances of using such a design for interplanetary flights are increased, providing the team with a comfortable level of gravity.

Before mankind can translate their dreams into reality, I would like to see in fantasy works a little more realism and even more knowledge of the laws of physics.