Roger Stokes wrote:

"Theodore W. Hall" wrote in message
...
I wish some portion of that budget would be invested in a
real space-based artificial-gravity test bed.

Has it been formally proposed to NASA and turned down, or not proposed at
all?

Sure, lots of people have proposed lots of things to NASA, but
NASA doesn't set its own budget or goals. It's at the mercy of
Congress and the Administration. Politicians are prone to
proclamations about space policy and goals without understanding
anything of the technical issues. They won't propose anything
that specific, nor understand it if it's proposed to them.

NASA and its contractors have done lots of paper studies
artificial gravity, but none of them have gotten past ground-based
centrifuge experiments and conceptual design of space hardware.
Artificial gravity has not been part of any funded mission.

Here are some technical / historical references:

Kramer, Saunders B.; Byers, Richard A. (Lockheed Aircraft
Corporation) (1960). "A Modular Concept for a Multi-Manned
Space Station." _Proceedings of the Manned Space Stations
Symposium, April 20-22, 1960_, p. 36-72. Institute of
the Aeronautical Sciences.

Hill, Paul R.; Schnitzer, Emanuel (NASA Langley) (1962).
"Rotating Manned Space Stations." _Astronautics_, vol. 7,
no. 9, p. 14-18, September 1962. American Rocket Society.

Berglund, Rene A. (NASA Langley) (1962). "AEMT Space-Station
Design." _Astronautics_, vol. 7, no. 9, p. 19-24, September
1962. American Rocket Society.

Kurzhals, Peter R.; Adams, James J. (NASA Langley) (1962).
"Dynamics and Stabilization of the Rotating Space Station."
_Astronautics_, vol. 7, no. 9, p. 25-29, September 1962.
American Rocket Society.

Normyle, William J. (1969). "NASA Aims at 100-Man Station."
_Aviation Week and Space Technology_, vol. 90, no. 8, p. 16-17,
February 24, 1969. McGraw-Hill.

NASA Office of Manned Space Flight (Advanced Manned Missions)
(1970). "Artificial Gravity Experiment Definition Study."

Schultz, David N.; Rupp, Charles C.; Hajos, Gregory A.; Butler,
John M. (1989). "A Manned Mars Artificial Gravity Vehicle"
(AAS 87-203). _The Case For Mars III: Strategies for
Exploration - General Interest and Overview_, p. 325-352.
Edited by Carol Stoker. American Astronautical Society.

Staehle, Robert L. (1989). "Earth Orbital Preparations for Mars
Expeditions" (AAS 87-205). _The Case For Mars III: Strategies
for Exploration - General Interest and Overview, p. 373-396.
Edited by Carol Stoker. American Astronautical Society.

Lemke, L. G.; Welch, R. B. (eds.) (1988). "Workshop on the Role
of Life Science in the Variable Gravity Research Facility."
NASA Ames Research Center, March 27-30, 1988.

Lemke, L. G. (1988). "VGRF Technology Overview and Strawman
Design." NASA Ames Research Center, March 27, 1988.

von Puttkamer, Jesco (1985). "The Long-Range Future." _Space
Stations and Space Platforms - Concepts, Design, Infrastructure,
and Uses_, p. 355-384. Edited by Ivan Bekey and Daniel Herman.
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

I would argue that an artificial-gravity test bed would have been
a better use of the life science money spent on ISS. I would
argue that an artificial-gravity test bed should be a prelude to
a crewed mission to Mars. But I suppose that discussion belongs
in news:sci.space.policy

--

Ted Hall