That last mile

Forum: Spacesettlers
Thread: That last mile

# 3112 byepibeemie@... on July 19, 2002, 7:19 p.m.
Member since 2021-10-03

There are certainly some changes that one would have to get used to in
depending on centrifugal force as a substitute for gravity.

The only thing holding you to the "ground" in a cylinder is centrifugal
force. As soon as you stop moving in the same circular arc as you are when
you're on the "ground," there will be nothing acting on you to draw you back
to the ground. A jump into the air from a standing start won't cancel out
all your centrifugal force, so you will "fall" back to the "ground."

But if you use an ultralight or any other device or method to cancel out
your circular motion you'll just stay where you are (or more likely you'll
continue in a straight line until you hit something). So if you used an
ultralight to take off from the "ground," once you've become airborne you
can shut the thing off, because there's no gravity pulling you back toward
the "ground."
You'll just float along going in the same direction.

This does have potential design implications. What should be added to the
cylinder design to help people or things slow down if they happen to get up
there out of control, and are moving in a random direction with enough speed
to splat when they finally strike something?