As we've mentioned many times on this blog, one of the huge barriers to safe and healthy extended space travel is the lack of gravity in space. Or more specifically, the near 1G our bodies must have to stay healthy. Before we can think about "galloping around the universe" in advanced starships, we need to address this deal breaker issue.
The subject of gravity figures heavily into my far future Space Adventure Romance story, The Shell and the Star, which involves two different human species who have lost the ability to function in full gravity. You can read the story for free here on Spacefreighters Lounge. I'm serializing this story and we're already over 6 chapters in with new sections posted here on Mondays. Click here to catch up to date.
But back to our science subject today. This video from April of this year explains how the artificial gravity would be generated on flights to Mars. It's an 8-minute video, but if you want to skip the introduction and background info, you can go right to 2:57 to cut to the chase.
In The Shell and the Star, the space station the heroine lives on uses a somewhat similar concept to generate gravity in selected areas that the residents must use to exercise a certain length of time each day to prevent atrophy of their muscles and other health problems related to extended time in zero or microgravity. But they've lost their ability to live their daily lives walking upright or functioning in full gravity, as we do. The Mars mission discussed here would employ artificial gravity 24/7 to keep astronauts healthy and strong.
Incidentally, the gravity on Mars is only about 38% of Earth's gravity, so about what the heroine Jinn is contending with on the space station. Astronauts really wouldn't be walking around like normal after very long exposed to that planet's low gravity (despite how Mark Watney does in The Martian).
And as for the near future colony planned for the Moon? Surprise. The Moon's gravity is less than 17% of Earth's! Clearly we'll have some problems to overcome for residents of colonies -- as well as colonists in transit -- before this can become a reality.
Let me know your thoughts in comments below.
Interesting concept. Even more interesting to see if it goes anywhere.
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