Ambrosia Software Web Board: Artificial Gravity - Ambrosia Software Web Board

We all know how gravity can be recreated by being in something that's spinning, but how else would it work? How could you recreate gravity on a fighter? I'd think that it'd have to do with magnetic forces of some kind (can the earth's magnetic field be created in a smaller area?), but how would you do it?

Maybe all ships should just be made of magnetized iron and we wear metal spacesuits all the time.

Well, we all know that a large object will generate gravity. Maybe it is possible to create a field in which it appears that there is a large object below it. (This also works in the theory of gravitic drives)

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-Pallas Athene of Dysian Beta, Obish Consensus Representative
-Nieru Dast, {M}ilitia Aeriane
-Danae Vernius
ThinkFish, and good things will come.

I'd guess the gravety thing would use gravitons, particles that carry the gravetic effect (quantum theory derived from some form of representing interactions).

However, it's unlikely a fighter would bother with artifical gravity (which might play hell with trying to manuver) and simply strap the pilot in. There shouldn't be any loose items anyway, a pk hit might cause them to bounce through the pilot's skull (or whatever).

As for the magnetic field, a 15 amp current 30cm away could create a magnetic field about 18.2% that of the Earth. 90 amps would be a little more than that of the Earth.

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*Error: target is violating the laws of physics*
*Error: target is locally exceeding c*
*Error: unable to determine if target exists or not*
*Error: target cannot be hit*

I know of only four methods of generating gravity aboard a spacecraft:

• 1) Centrifugal force looks much the most likely. There is a drawback: coriolis effects would force us to relearn how to walk, sit down, pour coffee, throw a baseball, et cetra. But it’s effects would decrease with increasing moment arm, that is, with larger structures (radius=1 mile or larger).
  
• 2) Our second choice is to use actual mass: plate the floor with neutronium, for instance at a density of fifty quadrillion tons per cubic foot; or build the ship around a quantum black hole, invisibly small and around as massive as, say, Phobos. But this will vastly increase our fuel consumption if we expect the vehicle to go anywhere.
  
• 3) Our third choice, generating gravity waves. This may remain beyond our abilities. But it’s one of those things that people are going to keep trying to build forever, because it would be so damn useful. We could launch ships at millions of gravities, and the passengers would never feel it. We could put laboratories on the sun, or colonize Jupiter. Anything.
  
• 4) The fourth method is simply thrusting. Plot the distance between whatever stars your traveling between, accelerate at one gravity, making turnover at midpoint, decelerating the rest.

Did I forget anything?


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Throughout their history these "unenlightened" beings have continually opposed and fought abuses of power wrought by their own bretheren. We, as the prophets would do well to learn from these Humans.
-Final statement of the Salrilian reformist Sirthis shortly before his execution.

[This message has been edited by Sargatanus (edited 12-23-2000).]

Gravity Waves? Would they be used in a "gravity engine" or "repulsor engine" (would they cause gravity and/or repell it?

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1) Gravity does not come in waves, ever. It's a constant acceleration.

2) Nice job, Sargatanus. You covered most of the bases pretty well (except for that whole sun thing--it's much too hot to do that.).

3) Gravitons haven't been discovered yet. Proof? Look at the nearest (modern) Periodic Table. Currently, Gravitons are of only theory and wild Sci-Fi speculation.

4) We still don't know much about gravity, and the things we thought we knew are now coming into question. For instance, one of our deep space probes is now starting to accelerate, even though there is no gravitic pull detectable and the thrusters are not firing (heck, they're out of fuel!). If anything, according to modern theories, the probe should be slowly de-accelerating as it hits interstellar dust.

5) If we ever figured out this dark matter thing, we might be able to 'paint' the ceiling of a craft, station, or building with the appropriate amount/type to 'generate artificial gravity,' since current theories state that darm matter acts as a mass repellant. Of course, any form of artificial gravity would wreak havoc with attitude and stabilizer thrusters on a ship, but that's a matter for a seperate discussion (no pun intended).

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"There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened."
--Douglas Adams

[This message has been edited by Idiot_box (edited 12-23-2000).]

We could reach for our trusty "Star Trek Tech Manual" and find out that artificial gravity comes from a type of tractor beam emmitter that is embedded in the floor of each deck, shooting the tractor beam just ten feet or so off the floor. Simple. Now, go find me a tractor beam, dammit!

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Damn! I just sold mine in a garage sale!

There's another _theory_ that if you have a rod of some type of very heavy material, and spin it very fast, then it will generate gravity. Minor problems include the fact that the outer edge of the rod would be travelling slightly faster than the speed of light, which is imposible, but I'm sure we can find our way around the minor technecalitys(sp).

Asc

That whole "zero point" thing might be a way to screw with inertia. To add gravity, set inertia to "down".

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William Darkk, head of the Darkklight Entrepenurial Federation
"Strategic warfare" is code for "killing civilians", and it's my calling. Yeah, it's barbaric. War's supposed to be.

First of all, Zero Point is an energy theory. It cannot be applied to gravity. Secondly, if you could "set inertia to 'down'", you might as well just "set gravity to 'up'".

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Throughout their history these "unenlightened" beings have continually opposed and fought abuses of power wrought by their own bretheren. We, as the prophets would do well to learn from these Humans.
-Final statement of the Salrilian reformist Sirthis shortly before his execution.

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1: Centrifugal force is the most likely, all you need is a rotating cockpit area that is serperated from the main ship to maintain stability for the ship as a whole.

2: Plating the floor with neutronium would possibly work if we built the ship in space entirely in 0G, otherwise, there is no way to get it off a planet, let alone land it, and the problem with using actuall mass is that a little more than you will be attracted to it, you'll be picking up spacedebris that makes 10 foot holes in your ship, no matter the size, so you'd have to find a way to repell foreign objects.

3: Damned if I know how to debunk that... Dunno what it is.

4: Not quite sure what you mean.



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Just becuase I'm evil doesn't mean I'm not nice.

Gravitons are a little more probable than "gravity waves". The only true "waves" of gravity are ripples in the fabric of the universe produced by supernovas and stuff of similar magnitude.

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William Darkk, head of the Darkklight Entrepenurial Federation
"Strategic warfare" is code for "killing civilians", and it's my calling. Yeah, it's barbaric. War's supposed to be.

So, to sum it up, the plausable ways of generating "gravity" aboard any sort of starship or spaceship are:

1) Centrifugal force (spinning)
2) Acceleration (though this would be an inconsistent source of gravity)
3) Dark Matter (on ceiling)

And for the information of those who care, tractor beams use gravitons...which, as I've previously stated, have not been proven to exist.

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"Loyalty to a petrified opinion never broke a chain or freed a human soul."
--Samuel Clemons

Neither for that matter has dark matter that is any different from normal matter.
Or negative energy (no -energy, no FTL, no jumpgates, no nothing).

Get my drift?

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William Darkk, head of the Darkklight Entrepenurial Federation
"Strategic warfare" is code for "killing civilians", and it's my calling. Yeah, it's barbaric. War's supposed to be.

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Not a d*mn word you said.

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"Loyalty to a petrified opinion never broke a chain or freed a human soul."
--Samuel Clemons

Most sci-fi relies on stuff that hasn't been proven to exist, or can be proven to be impossible (on time scales sentients can experience) and thus not exist.

DEAL WITH IT

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William Darkk, head of the Darkklight Entrepenurial Federation
"Strategic warfare" is code for "killing civilians", and it's my calling. Yeah, it's barbaric. War's supposed to be.