How are mass calculations done in the weightless environment of space?

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Mass calculations in a weightless environment, such as outer space, can be effectively performed using the principle of simple harmonic motion. By attaching an object to a spring with a known spring constant, astronauts can measure the oscillation to determine mass. This method was historically utilized on Skylab to measure astronauts' mass through their moment of inertia. For further details, refer to the NASA resource titled "Mass Measurements Aboard Space Station Skylab."

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Mass calculations in space

If an astronaut wanted to determine the mass of an object in outer space (0g), what is the procedure?
 
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Could you though? I would think you would only be able to calculate the moment of inertia, not the actual mass.

You could attach it to a spring with a known spring constant and use simple harmonic motion.
 
Kazza_765 said:
Could you though? I would think you would only be able to calculate the moment of inertia, not the actual mass.
One could calculate the mass of a body of known geometry from it's moment of inertia.
Kazza_765 said:
You could attach it to a spring with a known spring constant and use simple harmonic motion.
However, I do think this would be the better option.
 
Oscillating the inertial mass on a spring was the principle used to measure the mass of astronauts on Skylab.

As I'm new here I can't post urls in my messages yet, but search for "Mass Measurements Aboard Space Station Skylab" with your favourite search engine and you should get a hit from the NASA website which describes the device used to measure the astronauts' mass.
 
Thanks... a few more posts and I'll have the power to give URLs.
 

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