Japan: Research on for artificial gravity to aid astronauts in space

Gravity is something we take for granted here on Earth. It's an everyday phenomenon that doesn't dominate our daily calculus until we fall spread-eagled on the floor after a nasty slip. Astronauts may not 'fall' in the sense we do here on Earth but they are sure to sometimes wish there was a bit of gravity in space. For astronauts working aboard International Space Station (ISS) zero-gravity means anything that slips from hands goes in any direction it pleases. Besides, its hard to control stuff when you yourself have no weight and are floating inside the space station.

It may look fascinating to see astronauts floating around but zero-gravity has negative impact on human bodies. Prolonged effects include decrease in bone mass. Researchers and engineers from Japan's Kyoto University and Kajima Construction Co. are working on a system that will create 'artificial gravity' that will support human life in space.

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These experts are trying to harness Centrifugal Force to create artificial gravity. They are designing a craft that will have a component that will revolve while in space. Astronauts inside that component would experience Centrifugal Force which will keep them steady on surfaces like gravity does on Earth.

The architecture will be cylindrical, 100 metres wide and upto 400 metres tall (328 feet wide and 1,312 feet wide). In order to create artificial gravity, it will complete one revolution every 20 seconds. This will generate 1G of gravity which will be equivalent to that on Earth.

If Humankind is able to achieve creation of artificial gravity, it will open a new vista of space exploration. Currently, astronauts cannot live in space beyond a certain days as effect of zero gravity begins to kick-in. With artificial gravity, astronauts would be able to stay in space for longer periods. This would come in handy in case of space voyages that would require years of space travel.

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