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It would be interesting to construct a rotating space hab next to ISS, providing say 0.1g, to find out whether there is substantial improvement in the health of astronauts, even with small move away
from zero g.
Selvaraj

The Space Studies Institute (SSI) has been pushing this idea, which they call G-Lab.

Theyd also like to experiment with 1/6 G and 1/3 G. And you can investigate different levels on the same structure at the same time, by running your experiments
at different distances from the spin-axis.

Regards,

Mike Combs

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Gary Hudson's G-Lab Presentation at Space Access last May:

http://ssi.org/ssi-g-lab-at-space-access-2015/

Robert
SSI

It would be interesting to construct a rotating space hab next to ISS, providing say 0.1g, to find out whether there is substantial improvement in the health of astronauts, even with small move away from zero g.
SelvarajThe Space Studies Institute (SSI) has been pushing this idea, which they call G-Lab.Theyd also like to experiment with 1/6 G and 1/3 G. And you can investigate different levels on the same structure at the same time, by running your experiments at different distances from the spin-axis.

Regards, Mike Combs

I see the logic of the 0.01 G,1/6th G and others, but would the cost of putting theequipment on orbit for those devicesbe worth not going back to the Moon for a permanent colony there? My feelings are No. I suspect the general tax-paying public will not believe colonization of any location in outer space is possible until it is done.

Please keep up the good work of keeping these discussions going.

Sincerely,

Jay S. Huebner, BSEE, MS & PhD. Physics,
UNF Physics Professor from 1972 to 2014,
Visiting Research Professor from 2005 to 2014,
now Physics Professor Emeritus,
E-mail [in perpetuity]: jhuebn@...

CEO of North Florida Scientific, LLC
Web site under construction,
Street address; 10258 Fontana Ct. N.,
Jacksonville, FL 32225-6650

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This is a good point. It might be premature to talk about manned missions to Mars when we only have data on 1-G, a bit of data on 0-G, a tiny smattering of
(short-term) data on 1/6 G, and no data at all on 1/3.

It would be sensible to return to the moon and leave some humans there at least as long as you anticipate having to leave humans on Mars in a typical mission.
Having some long-term data points at both 0-G and 1/6-G might help you extrapolate better to 1/3 G. Right now, its all guess work.

If NASA was really serious about sending humans to Mars, then there would be white mice in a 1/3-G centrifuge up on the ISS right now, and they would have already
been up there continuously for a few years.

But the centrifuge was one of the first things dropped when the cost-cutting began.

It shows that NASA is more committed to having a big rocket to build than they are to sending humans to Mars. The promise of the latter is just to get you
to approve of the former.

Regards,

Mike Combs

When I was studying engineering, in our Industrial Engineering text book there was a cartoon which showed a plumber high up, fixing the pipes, when the structure had not reached
that level, with the caption 'Aren't you jumping the gun Schultz?'

We seem to have a similar problem with getting humans into space. Perhaps putting a team of ten people on the Moon as early as possible, would help to obtain invaluable experience
in a short time. (It would also help focus attention of earthlings on something positive.)

Regards,

Selvaraj

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> This is a good point. It might be premature to talk about manned
> missions to Mars when we only have data on 1-G, a bit of data on 0-G, a
> tiny smattering of (short-term) data on 1/6 G, and no data at all on 1/3.

"Might" seems a little conservative here. :)

> It would be sensible to return to the moon and leave some humans there
> at least as long as you anticipate having to leave humans on Mars in a
> typical mission. Having some long-term data points at both 0-G and 1/6-G
> might help you extrapolate better to 1/3 G. Right now, its all guess
> work.

That's true, though I also support a variable-G research facility in
orbit. A few generations of mice or rats, raised at various levels of
gravity, would advance our understanding tremendously.

> If NASA was really serious about sending humans to Mars, then there
> would be white mice in a 1/3-G centrifuge up on the ISS right now, and
> they would have already been up there continuously for a few years.

Um, yeah, what you said. :)

> But the centrifuge was one of the first things dropped when the
> cost-cutting began.
>
> It shows that NASA is more committed to having a big rocket to build
> than they are to sending humans to Mars. The promise of the latter is
> just to get you to approve of the former.

True. I recall arguments that a centrifuge would have caused vibrations
that would disrupt other research. But I haven't seen or heard ANY
research done on station that is nearly as valuable or as important to
our future as variable-G research would have been.

Best,
- Joe