Living in a Rotating Space Habitat: Perception and Challenges

[cbrons]

This is the link - http://www.spacehabs.com/projects/#portfolio/20/

Forgive me for this rather stupid question, but say you lived on such a station. Um... what would happen when the part you were on rotated you upside down? I'm guessing that you wouldn't *technically* be upside down, but what would your perception be?

And how in the world can they play golf on there? (I notice golf courses).

 

[cbrons]

http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/Kalpana/KalpanaOne2007.pdf <-- here is the technical paper if you are interested btw

 

[HallsofIvy]

"Down" is whatever direction your feet are pressed to the ground. There would be complications concerning "coriolis force"- if you were to throw something across the station it would curve to one side.

 

[cbrons]

"Down" is whatever direction your feet are pressed to the ground. There would be complications concerning "coriolis force"- if you were to throw something across the station it would curve to one side.

Thank you... so again you are saying that they can have ponds and stuff? And the water just simply sits perfectly still like it would here on Earth? Or would that have some subtle effect? I am sorry, this is more for a fiction-writing exercise than anything else.

 

[russ_watters]

Thank you... so again you are saying that they can have ponds and stuff? And the water just simply sits perfectly still like it would here on Earth? Or would that have some subtle effect? I am sorry, this is more for a fiction-writing exercise than anything else.

Yes, for the most part, sitting on the rim feels like sitting on earth. The rotation provides the illusion of gravity.

 

[A.T.]

Um... what would happen when the part you were on rotated you upside down?

Ask some Australian how awkward that feels.

And how in the world can they play golf on there?

Tricky because of stronger Coriolis force and gravity gradient compared to Earth. But if the golfers adapt to it, it might actually be easier to hit distant targets. The balls move on approximately straight paths (ignoring aerodynamics) in the inertial frame, so you just have to estimate how much a certain surface point will rotate during the flight time.

 

[cbrons]

Where would space ships dock in that sort of station? I am assuming at the center...

The thing is, I am not sure how you would land though. Wouldn't you have to match the rotation with the station using some kind of side thrusters (do these even exist?) that would act perpendicular to the direction of the motion in the opposite directions

 

[russ_watters]

Where would space ships dock in that sort of station? I am assuming at the center...

The thing is, I am not sure how you would land though. Wouldn't you have to match the rotation with the station using some kind of side thrusters (do these even exist?) that would act perpendicular to the direction of the motion in the opposite directions

Correct, correct and correct. And yes, thrusters exist to control all 3 axes of motion.

 

[A.T.]

Where would space ships dock in that sort of station? I am assuming at the center...

The thing is, I am not sure how you would land though. Wouldn't you have to match the rotation with the station

The station could also have parts which do not rotate with the big part.