What is Artificial gravity: Definition and 68 Discussions

Artificial gravity (sometimes referred to as pseudogravity) is the creation of an inertial force that mimics the effects of a gravitational force, usually by rotation.
Artificial gravity, or rotational gravity, is thus the appearance of a centrifugal force in a rotating frame of reference (the transmission of centripetal acceleration via normal force in the non-rotating frame of reference), as opposed to the force experienced in linear acceleration, which by the equivalence principle is indistinguishable from gravity.
In a more general sense, "artificial gravity" may also refer to the effect of linear acceleration, e.g. by means of a rocket engine.Rotational simulated gravity has been used in simulations to help astronauts train for extreme conditions.
Rotational simulated gravity has been proposed as a solution in human spaceflight to the adverse health effects caused by prolonged weightlessness.
However, there are no current practical outer space applications of artificial gravity for humans due to concerns about the size and cost of a spacecraft necessary to produce a useful centripetal force comparable to the gravitational field strength on Earth (g).
Scientists are concerned about the effect of such a system on the inner ear of the occupants. The concern is that using centripetal force to create artificial gravity will cause disturbances in the inner ear leading to nausea and disorientation. The adverse effects may prove intolerable for the occupants.

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  1. L

    B Busting the myth about achieving artificial gravity by rotating a body

    Movement isn't required to achieve gravity, even the artificial kind. Standing on a rotating body requires you to be actually physically standing on it. How is this achieved? Well, by gravity of course. Unless you are tied/stuck to the rotating body, but in that case there is no gravity pushing...
  2. Strato Incendus

    The interior design of the central trunk of a ring spaceship

    For all the attention we‘ve paid to ring habitats, we haven’t talked that much about the interior design of the central trunk yet, around which the rings rotate. Just having one big hollow ship trunk, about 100 metre in diameter, would be a lot of wasted space. It would also be too easy for...
  3. DaveC426913

    B Artificial gravity rotating on two axes

    The world building thread about a derelict spaceship got me wondering. An object can rotate on two axes simultaneously, yes? Is that stable in flat space? If so, what would occupants experience as gravity? Would it change over time?
  4. D

    Warp Drive = Artificial Gravity?

    I had a bit of a brainwave regarding artificial gravity (outside of rotation or linear acceleration). As we know "gravity plating" is just a plot device to allow sci-fi films and shows to escape the pain of having to accurately recreate a zero-g environment. But then I thought: gravity is a...
  5. D

    Could a black hole be used as an artificial gravity generator for a spaceship?

    It's one of those staples of sci-fi. Unless you're going for a hard sci-fi that uses rotation or linear acceleration to achieve simulated gravity, your starship will likely use "gravity plating". As we all know, gravity plating is just a plot device, usually for shows with more limited budgets...
  6. P

    I How can artificial gravity be created for space exploration?

    Space exploration plays an important role in expanding our human civilisation beyond earth. But the major challenge is our difficulty of working in zero gravity. So the only possible explanation I could think of is creating artificial gravity. How can this be done ?
  7. person123

    NASA Why isn't NASA using artificial gravity for manned space travel?

    Hi! I'm curious what your take on this is. I'm taking an introduction to U.S. Government course and my professor was discussing the inefficiencies of the public sector; the discussion on politics isn't relevant here but he did make an interesting point about space travel. He argued that the...
  8. E

    Physics of Artificial Gravity....

    On the AG vein, had a thought/question re the work that it is doing, by work I mean joules. So, AG generator is on the ship, as are the occupants. So relative to the AG generator (assume for the time being no one is moving on the ship) the things the generator is acting on are not moving...
  9. ZapperZ

    Artificial Gravity in Science Fiction

    We get this type of question now and then, even in the main physics forums. One such question in the Sci Fi forum is from this one: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/what-is-the-largest-possible-rotating-wheel-space-station.950770/ So I don't know of people have seen this video from a few...
  10. Halit

    Artificial gravity in a spacecraft

    Homework Statement https://i.hizliresim.com/Bzp05M.jpg " spacecraft " Now you're in other space.No gravity at all.You 're going to make your own artifical gravity R = 100m Quest 1-) With which angular velocity, g is equal to 10 (g = 10) 2-)Can you walk from b to a? Why is that 3-)Can you...
  11. substitute materials

    Artificial gravity in a rotating space station

    It is often proposed that gravity could be simulated on a space station by rotating around an axis, such that the astronaut experiences the centripetal force of the space station wall, analogously to gravity. It is usually mentioned that the radius of rotation must be very large to avoid...
  12. A

    Questions: Spherical habitat

    Consider a hollow sphere roughly the size of the moon, spun up to produce 1g of centripetal acceleration along a band at its equator (about 15000 kph) Big stuff, I know. I have a few questions about the implication of such a system, and I hope someone can help me find some answers! - How tall...
  13. caters

    Artificial gravity on a ship without the whole ship rotating

    I know that rotation can cause there to be artificial gravity. But I was thinking of making a floor plan that is all horizontal with the generation ship having a rocket shape and with it being longer than it is wide and wider than it is tall. So I was thinking of giant centrifuges on every...
  14. Physics345

    Need someone to help check my work -- Artificial Gravity Report

    Homework Statement 1. Do research to find out what artificial gravity is and how it is related to centripetal motion. Explain how artificial gravity could be created in a weightless environment and give a reason why we would want to do this.Homework Equations None. The Attempt at a Solution...
  15. P

    Fictitious forces and artificial gravity

    I'd be extremely grateful if anyone could help me with this ... its mainly part iv) that I'm stuck on but the other parts build up to it! Thanks very much! 1. Homework Statement I have a wheel shaped space station of radius 100m rotating about its symmetry axis (defined to be the z axis) at...
  16. Daniel Travis

    Artificial gravity -- consequences for the human body

    Hey all, *this is my first post on this forum* I've read a lot about the different ways of artificial gravity on this forum, and we've discussed everything from realistic ideas that can be accomplished with today's tech, all the way to fictitious situations in sci fi books. BASICALLY, I would...
  17. A

    Space station artificial gravity - how to spin up to speed?

    If a space station has artificial gravity created by spinning, how can it best be spun up to speed? Little attitude rockets could do it, but they would use up fuel, and limit your ability to change the spin rate in future. What if you had an external wheel that you spin up very fast in the...
  18. M

    I Is Artificial Gravity Created on the ISS Due to Tidal Locking?

    When International Space Station is at rest, it revolves around it's axis once per orbital revolution (92.65 minutes). In other words, is tidally locked. Does the spinning around it's axis do create non-zero artificial gravity? Does it have non zero angular momentum?
  19. artriant

    How do fluids behave in a space centrifugal structure (artificial gravity)

    How fluids would act around the circumference of a space centrifugal, where the habitable zones are. Given that we have a radial gradient of Artificial Gravity , plus Coriolis, inertia, frictions etc. Id expect some change. Will add a list of questions but this more like an open discussion...
  20. F

    Would space stations of sci-fi fame actually work?

    Would a spinning space station as depicted below that use centrifugal force to create artificial gravity actually work? I'm thinking that it would not, this is because the centrifugal force would not affect an astronaut inside unless he was actually fastened mechanically to the hub. The fact...
  21. artriant

    Artificial gravity concept -- Rotating structure in space

    Hello everyone, i m working on a full circle space centrifuge concept. I try to support it with some maths but i don't want to dive into crazy details. I used alrdy lot of countermeasures to dangerous effects.I have problems similar to bridge mechanics. The design is not solid so i need to be...
  22. astrololo

    Period of Rotation for Artificial Gravity on Earth

    Homework Statement What must be the period of rotation of a spatial station so that artificial gravity in a cabin that is 45 m of radius from the axis of ration corresponds to gravitational field at the surface of Earth ? Homework Equations T=(2(pi)r)/v Sum of forces r prime = (mv^2)/r The...
  23. W

    Understanding centrifugal force

    Dear Experts, I believe that we use the concept of Pseudo Forces, to analyze mechanics within an accelerating frame of reference. Pseudo force seems to be a 'correction' in acceleration provided to all the points that are not riveted to the accelerating frame of reference. And centrifugal force...
  24. Calpalned

    Explaining How a Rotating Cylindrical Spaceship Simulates Gravity

    Homework Statement One way to simulate gravity is to shape a spaceship like a cylindrical shell that rotates, with the astronauts walking on the inside surface. Explain how this simulates gravity. Homework Equations ## F = m/v^2 ## The Attempt at a Solution My textbook's solution guide...
  25. Razorback-PT

    Artificial Gravity through Rotation BUT on a vacuum

    Hi everyone, here's the situation: Everyone knows that you can simulate artificial gravity by rotating a space ship. Usually these scenarios include an atmosphere with regular air inside. I know that the inclusion of air has an influence on the effects inside by way of friction. How different...
  26. M

    Rotating Spacecraft Causing 'Artificial Gravity' via Centripetal Force

    How is this possible? The reason spinning a bucket of water upside down keeps the water inside the bucket is because you're applying force and accelerating the bucket. But in space, there is nothing 'accelerating' the rotation of a spacecraft , it is merely in continuous Newtonian motion...
  27. P

    Designs for a space station with artificial gravity

    I've been throwing around designs for a space station with artificial gravity for a while now and here is where its at in my head, the drawing is EXTREMELY crude but hopefully someone can understand the idea. the 2d drawing is meant to show a basic side view of it, the blue arrows indicating the...
  28. E

    Artificial gravity ship: Floor?

    The other day, I was learning about creating "artificial" gravity by building a gigantic circularly shaped ship which would revolve at a frequency such that the centripetal acceleration coincided with the acceleration due to gravity g (analogous to the shape and movement of earth). I can...
  29. P

    Calculating Artificial Gravity for a Rotating Space Station

    Hi As I'm sure we're all aware, there are many planned missions to Mars. Given its distance (some 3 years away given today's tech) by the time any humans make it there, their muscles would be completely useless on account of wastage as a result of no gravity. Therefore, artificial gravity is...
  30. O

    How Does Spinning a Ship in Space Create Artificial Gravity?

    I hope this is the right place for this question. How would spinning a ship in space create artificial gravity? I've long wondered if it actually would, or if you'd just have people floating in a spinning ship. I did a minimum of searching and found that there have been actual proposals...
  31. K

    Artificial gravity by spinning?

    Every time I see a SF pic which has some simulated gravity by spinning I can't imagine this actually working. The latest SF I watched (mission to mars) had a wide rotating cillinder somewhere in the middle of a much longer cillinder which formed the main ship. Now imagine yourself moving from...
  32. I

    Question about artificial gravity (orbitting earth) in space

    Considering artificial gravity can be created in a large enough tube orbiting an axis at a fast enough speed, consider the following: If a spaceship is in a fixed orbit around the earth, wouldn't it be bound to Earth's axis by its gravitational pull? And if so, since the Earth rotates at...
  33. A

    Centrifugal force and artificial gravity

    In lecture 5 of MIT's OCW 8.01 , Prof. Lewin says that when you're in in uniform circular motion, the perceived gravity is always in the opposite direction as the push or pull (so if you're holding onto the end of a rope that's being spun around horziontally, the rope is pulling on you and you...
  34. C

    What is the trajectory of an object thrown within a rotating centrifuge?

    Hi all. I posted a question here once before for a sci-fi writing project, and I'm back again to pick the brains of some people more left-brained than myself. Here's the scenario: Imagine you're in a spacecraft with a rotating centrifuge, to create artificial gravity for the astronauts...
  35. L

    What is the force behind artificial gravity in rotating space stations?

    Homework Statement Figure 5.18 shows a space station rotating about an axis. Because of the rotational motion, any object located at a point P on the interior surface of the station experiences a centripetal force directed toward the axis. The surface of the station provides this force by...
  36. K

    Artificial Gravity on a Spinning Spaceship - Find the Period

    Homework Statement Spinning Space Ship One way to provide artificial gravity (i.e., a feeling of weight) on long space voyages is to separate a spacecraft into two parts at the ends of a long cable, and set them rotating around each other. A craft has been separated into two parts with a...
  37. R

    Creating Artificial Gravity for Spacecraft Travel

    I wrote a brief technical paper on the research and concepts for creating artificial gravity in space using centrifuges for my Mechanical Engineering class. I would just like to share it with the Physics world...
  38. M

    Artificial Gravity: What Makes Objects Press Towards Rotating Satellites?

    When an object is present in a rotating satellite it is pressed towards the rim of satellite.What in the world makes it press?
  39. P

    Thought experiment regarding artificial gravity (Newton's third law in space)

    I was recently reading about artificial gravity and generating it in space, especially by centripetal force using Stanford Tori and Bernal sphere (only Wikipedia and these to articles, but if anyone has any more resources, I would be glad to read them, I couldn't find anything else in my...
  40. A

    Sports in Rotational Artificial Gravity

    This is a spoiler for all Artificial gravity space crafts. If somebody thinks that he can do whatever he can on earth, on the Space Craft, then here is bad news: No football, no soccer, no cricket, no birds can exist on the craft without confusion. :confused: Here is why: A projectile...
  41. C

    Artificial Gravity: Benefits & Uses

  42. P

    Artificial gravity in a rotating wheel

    reading about circular motion has become very confusing for me thanks to the "centrifugal force". I have tried reading a lot of concepts presented on the internet but they haven't cleared away my doubts. In a rotating wheel, If there is no outward force acting on an object why does it remain in...
  43. I

    Artificial gravity meeting zero gravity

    A little puzzle that's been in my mind for a while and I figured I would ask, in case someone a little more knowledgeable could shed some light on it. Assuming one had a spaceship formed by two "hoops," one inside the other. If one of the hoops rotated at a velocity high enough to provide a...
  44. W

    Why artificial gravity is not possible?

    What are some of the obstacles scientist face with the idea of creating artificial gravity for a space station?
  45. DARKSYDE

    Angular Momentum & Artificial Gravity in a Spinning Space Station

    im struggeling with the notion of experiencing angular momentum in a spinning space station. to me it would seem that you wouldn't "stick" to the wall/floor simply because it was spining. for example, if you were floating in a vaccume in the center center of a tube like structure and it it...
  46. N

    Does Jumping in a Rotating Space Cylinder Make You Land Ahead?

    Gravity in space is best simulated by rotation. If I were inside a rotating cylinder facing the direction of rotation (i.e. a window at my feet would show objects coming into view from the top of the window) and jumped straight into the air, would I land ahead of where I started or behind where...
  47. M

    Spinning artificial gravity proof

    can someone explain to me how can it be proof that the spinning-room-artificial-gravity, actually works? i mean, that if you take a huge wheel-like room, and spin it in the right velocity, the people inside will experience something that feels like gravity. well, I've mange to understand...
  48. jacksonpeeble

    Artificial Gravity in a space station

    Homework Statement To create artificial gravity, the space station shown in the drawing is rotating at a rate of 1.10 rpm. The radii of the cylindrically shaped chambers have the ratio rA/rB = 3.85. Each chamber A simulates an acceleration due to gravity of 10.0 m/s2. (a) Find rA. (b)...
  49. A

    Artificial gravity in a washing machine

    Homework Statement If a washing machine's drum has a radius of 26 cm and spins at 4 rev/s, what is the strength of the artificial gravity to which the clothes are subjected? Express your answer as a multiple of g. Homework Equations w = distance/time w= (angular velocity) The...
  50. J

    Circular Motion, artificial gravity

    My brain hangs when i try to draw a free body diagram of a person stand on Earth and then a person standing inside a "space-colony"(a large wheel that spins,at the correct angular velocity and radius, and so the person standing inside feels the same amount of force pulling him "downwards")...
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