|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Question about Centrifugal Gravity
Sylvia Else wrote:
On 18/02/2011 1:30 AM, Jonathan Thornburg [remove -animal to reply] wrote: James wrote: So a lot of movies, TV shows, illustrations, etc., show spacecraft generating "gravity" via rotating hull sections. In many cases, this rotating section spins around a stationary central hull. The question I have for those more knowledgeable in this area than I is: What is the connection between these two sections? Obviously there shouldn't be a physical connection between the two hull sections (right?). But would this mean space enough between the spinnning hull and the stationary hull for the interior atmosphere to escape? Or is it sealed somehow? If you have separate rotating and non-rotating sections (as in, for example, the movie "2010"), then yes, you need a rotating air-seal between them. This takes a bit of effort for the engineers, but is certainly possible. Do you have any references describing how it could be achieved? I've looked, and I cannot find anything. It can be done at simplest with the kind of rubber seal used in car engines to keep the oil in, or with various other rotating seals of greater complexity - but it doesn't usually need to be done. For instance in a long flight, eg to Mars, you spin up the living capsule say at one end of a tether and the landing module or whatever at the other end, and it just stays spinning until a day or two before you arrive. For a space station with two sections the airlock between them (you do want an airlock there!) either mates with the spinning section or with the stationary section. When moving from the rotating section the airlock opens to the RS, people transfer into the airlock, it closes, it unmates with the RS, it despins, then it mates with the stationary section etc. In some scenarios the sections should not be in contact, if possible - the main reason for having two sections is that you want microgravity in one section and earthlike gravity in the other. In order to have good microgravity with eg a rotating seal the center of gravity of the rotating section must be at the center of the seal - but this causes problems as eg people move around the rotating section. This also puts pressure on the seal. It may be best to have no actual contact between the sections, just a transfer airlock. -- Peter Fairbrother |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Question about gravity | mathematician | Astronomy Misc | 2 | March 19th 10 05:49 AM |
Whats difference between Centripetal and Centrifugal force? | G=EMC^2 Glazier[_1_] | Misc | 3 | May 5th 09 02:53 PM |
Question about centrifugal force and Bernoulli's law. | Robert Clark | Astronomy Misc | 7 | August 29th 06 01:56 AM |
tides and centrifugal force | Paolo Sirtoli | Astronomy Misc | 0 | July 12th 05 11:05 AM |
Centrifugal Force? | Benign Vanilla | Misc | 44 | July 19th 04 05:21 AM |