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Brage Eidsvik
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Is swimming affected by gravity? How will swimming in micro gravity compare to high gravity and low gravity.
phinds said:Swimming in micro gravity seems a sure way to drown. Do you see why?
No, because water goes EVERYWHERE in micro gravity and only very slowly settles back. That means if you were in a swimming pool in microgravity you would soon be "swimming" in a solid mass of combined air/water droplets and could not avoid breathing enough water to kill you.Brage Eidsvik said:Because water stick to surfaces making it very hard to escape the water surrounding you? Like the Canadian astronaut pouring water on his eyes to simulate crying in space.
phinds said:No, because water goes EVERYWHERE in micro gravity and only very slowly settles back. That means if you were in a swimming pool in microgravity you would soon be "swimming" in a solid mass of combined air/water droplets and could not avoid breathing enough water to kill you.
Actually you are (or at least I am). Even after a full exhalation, there's a fair amount of air in the lungs and that air is just as wonderfully compressible as any other gas. The volume of the chest depends on the pressure of the air inside at least as much as the mechanical rigidity of the rib cage (which isn't very rigid at all, or we couldn't breath).Thus, as pressure increases the human body loses volume much more quickly than an equivalent volume of liquid. Two observations:Khashishi said:You aren't really more compressible...
Khashishi said:You aren't really more compressible. At higher pressures, you simply take more air into your lungs to fill the same volume. Now, this can potentially cause problems with oxygen poisoning if the atmospheric ratios aren't right, so you probably want an atmosphere with lower oxygen percentage at higher pressures. Higher gravity doesn't necessarily mean higher pressure-- it depends on the thickness of the atmosphere. Divers can experience much higher pressures without lung collapse.
The force of gravity affects the buoyancy of objects in water, including swimmers. In higher gravity, it is easier for swimmers to stay afloat and move through the water, while in lower gravity, they may feel lighter and have a more difficult time staying submerged.
In zero gravity, there is no force of gravity pulling objects down, so traditional swimming strokes and techniques would not work. However, astronauts on the International Space Station can "swim" by pushing off from walls and using the momentum to move through the air.
In a higher gravity environment, swimmers may feel more resistance and have to use more strength to propel themselves through the water. This can lead to faster fatigue and a decrease in overall performance.
In a higher gravity environment, swimmers may experience increased strain on their muscles and joints, which could lead to injury. In a lower gravity environment, swimmers may have difficulty controlling their movements and may be at risk of colliding with obstacles or other swimmers.
Training in a higher or lower gravity environment may result in changes to a swimmer's muscle strength and coordination. This could potentially improve their performance when returning to a normal gravity environment, but may also require time to readjust to the different conditions.