I saw the Matt Damon movie Elysium a little while ago, and I got to pondering the particulars of the space station. Discussion online seems pretty sparse, but I came across one interesting Sci-Am article likening it to a Carnival ride:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/ove ... -of-water/
Rotating the station to simulate one g is pretty simple, assuming the materials have the necessary strength. But the station has no covering on the inhabited spaces. With a sealed torus, air pressure can be maintained by some sort of ventilation system, and is thus independent of the gravity-simulating rotation. The carnival ride analogy is faulty because with the environment being open instead of sealed, the station's rotation needs to not only simulate gravity but accelerate the air enough to simulate one atm of pressure. With only 300 feet or so of partially contained space to work in, it seems to me impossible for the station to achieve both earth-standard gravity and air pressure. And any interruption in the station's movement would immediately evacuate the atmosphere. And, of course, the question of how the inhabited surface is shielded from radiation and debris is another issue altogether.
Elysium
- Mr. Oragahn
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Re: Elysium
The air is a fluid though, so it's going to be affected by spin, but with all the intricacities of a fluid. But in the end, after many cycles, the air would finally stabilize and adopt it own flow. Friction with the ground will actually keep the air be dragged. Obviously, there will be more air movement on the ground.
Now, something that could be surprising, but it's been noted recently that an atmosphere of a planet does have an effect on its own rotation.
Now, something that could be surprising, but it's been noted recently that an atmosphere of a planet does have an effect on its own rotation.