Turbolift could reduce health problems of weightlessness or low gravity

A new artificial gravity concept could help astronauts endure long-duration missions in the near-weightless environment of space. NASA 360 takes a look at the NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) known as Turbolift, a new approach to artificial gravity.

This system could also be used on the surface of Mars, the moon and asteroids.

Long duration space exploration missions cause astronauts to experience physiological deconditioning, including bone loss, muscle atrophy, cardiovascular deconditioning, sensorimotor/balance impairment, and vision changes. For a crewed Mars mission, where microgravity and reduced gravity (e.g. 0.38 G on the Martian surface) exposure may occur for 2+ years, deconditioning impacts the astronauts’ health, well-being, effectiveness, and safety.

Researchers proposed a novel linear artificial gravity (AG) technology designed to counteract these deleterious effects on the astronauts. Previous “centrifuge” AG systems have negative impacts due to the constant rotating environment:
1) Coriolis forces, which may be confusing and limit concurrent exercise or lead to injury
2) vestibular crosscoupling illusions, which are highly provocative and cause motion sickness
3) gravity gradients, where the loading varying along the length of the astronauts body.

The linear AG technology (termed “Turbolift”) suffers from none of these confounding problems, particularly during the acceleration/deceleration “loading” phases. Briefly, the conceptual paradigm is as follows: the astronaut is linearly accelerated at 1G for ~1s, then is rotated 180 degrees to prepare for a 1G deceleration for ~1s. This process is repeated to create intermittent AG where the force is always headward similar to standing here on Earth. The experience is likely to be analogous to bouncing mildly on a trampoline. The intermittent loading is intended to reduce or eliminate the physiological deconditioning in a comprehensive, multi-system manner. To evaluate the linear AG technology, they aim to perform an engineering design analysis to quantify the required size and mass of the system. They also aim to design a scale model of the system to test its feasibility, such that it can be properly evaluated as countermeasure system to enable long duration crewed exploration

100 thoughts on “Turbolift could reduce health problems of weightlessness or low gravity”

  1. They figured out how to simulate doing flips on a trampoline in space, if the trampoline flipped over with you each time you attempted to jump. 😉

  2. Bone loss and muscle loss can be at least attenuated if not mitigated entirely with low dose testosterone treatment for men and low dose anavar treatment for women. With low doses, low travel time (less than 9 months), ancillaries and exercise – they’ll be absolutely fine without any long term side effects. These astronauts are typically in such incredible shape and are selected for cardiovascular condition anyway, the only people really at risk with androgen replacement or supplementation therapy are people with a serious cardiac risk factor history. NASA and space flight in general are just stuck in the stone age of endocrinology with this stuff. They won’t even look at it, despite overwhelming evidence that it would completely resolve their muscle and bone atrophy problem.

  3. I’m kind of horrified that someone is taking it seriously. It seems to me that just having a 1G area produced by centrifical rotation which the crew accesses for several hours a day for exercise is really all that’s required. Lying down in a bed goes for simulating low-g here on Earth, so logically sleeping in zero-g or microgravity isn’t going to hurt anybody. Working in zero-g seems to be one of the premier economic potential attractions to being there at all. So 8 hours in the rec ring at 1G prescribed for all.

  4. This has got to be the silliest most bass ackwards thing I’ve heard of in a long time. They think as opposed to simply spinning this won’t produce motion sickness? The problem is desperately simple, long enough radius low enough RPM. That’s the whole deal. Different screen name because I’m signing on from my phone. This proposal is too stupid to wait for me to get to my PC.

  5. I’m having a hard time seeing how being abruptly rotated periodically is supposed to be better than continuously rotating at the same frequency. Except, I suppose, that you could learn not to make abrupt head movements while being flipped. Furthermore, this seems limited to short periods when you couldn’t be doing anything else, while standard centrifugal force is consistent with carrying on other activities while loaded, and can potentially go on for the entire trip. The idea seems fundamentally unserious to me.

  6. They figured out how to simulate doing flips on a trampoline in space if the trampoline flipped over with you each time you attempted to jump. 😉

  7. Bone loss and muscle loss can be at least attenuated if not mitigated entirely with low dose testosterone treatment for men and low dose anavar treatment for women. With low doses low travel time (less than 9 months) ancillaries and exercise – they’ll be absolutely fine without any long term side effects. These astronauts are typically in such incredible shape and are selected for cardiovascular condition anyway the only people really at risk with androgen replacement or supplementation therapy are people with a serious cardiac risk factor history. NASA and space flight in general are just stuck in the stone age of endocrinology with this stuff. They won’t even look at it despite overwhelming evidence that it would completely resolve their muscle and bone atrophy problem.

  8. I’m kind of horrified that someone is taking it seriously.It seems to me that just having a 1G area produced by centrifical rotation which the crew accesses for several hours a day for exercise is really all that’s required. Lying down in a bed goes for simulating low-g here on Earth so logically sleeping in zero-g or microgravity isn’t going to hurt anybody. Working in zero-g seems to be one of the premier economic potential attractions to being there at all.So 8 hours in the rec ring at 1G prescribed for all.

  9. This has got to be the silliest most bass ackwards thing I’ve heard of in a long time. They think as opposed to simply spinning this won’t produce motion sickness?The problem is desperately simple long enough radius low enough RPM.That’s the whole deal.Different screen name because I’m signing on from my phone. This proposal is too stupid to wait for me to get to my PC.

  10. I’m having a hard time seeing how being abruptly rotated periodically is supposed to be better than continuously rotating at the same frequency. Except I suppose that you could learn not to make abrupt head movements while being flipped.Furthermore this seems limited to short periods when you couldn’t be doing anything else while standard centrifugal force is consistent with carrying on other activities while loaded and can potentially go on for the entire trip.The idea seems fundamentally unserious to me.

  11. It is ‘fundamentally unserious’. Thing is, like it as not, The Government eructs a bolus of money every year for Stretch-Science projects across the board. 18th Century waistcoat moneybags of lucre. And, as is human nature, all masery of silliness can be packaged for believability. And to capture some of that gold. This is fundamentally flawed EVEN when using the short-list of criteria that is said to vex centrifugal / centripetal synthetic gravity methods. Accelerations of 1 second, drifting, slowly turning (so as to not seem bad), then reversing … is absolutely going to be as bad as any roller coaster ride I can imagine. Moreover, it seems that if “powerful vestibular crossing WillyWonkas” are a problem, then one need only ‘hang out’ in the centrifuge, at night. When sleeping. Or when doing rep-exercises. When you’re pretty well worked up to begin with. Just saying, GoatGuy

  12. It is ‘fundamentally unserious’. Thing is like it as not The Government eructs a bolus of money every year for Stretch-Science projects across the board. 18th Century waistcoat moneybags of lucre. And as is human nature all masery of silliness can be packaged for believability. And to capture some of that gold. This is fundamentally flawed EVEN when using the short-list of criteria that is said to vex centrifugal / centripetal synthetic gravity methods. Accelerations of 1 second drifting slowly turning (so as to not seem bad) then reversing … is absolutely going to be as bad as any roller coaster ride I can imagine. Moreover it seems that if powerful vestibular crossing WillyWonkas”” are a problem”” then one need only ‘hang out’ in the centrifuge at night. When sleeping. Or when doing rep-exercises. When you’re pretty well worked up to begin with. Just saying”” GoatGuy”””””””

  13. OMG NO. Anyone who is being rotated like this every two seconds is going to lose their lunch. Are we actually paying for this R&D? Is there a way I can get some NASA $ for my ideas which are actually not absurd?

  14. Given the comparison to a trampoline, I wonder if some benefit might accrue from a setup with bungee cords strategically attached to one’s body, combined with simply jumping ‘up’ against the cords and being pulled back ‘down’ by the cords. One issue might be the frequent shocks imparted to the rest of the space vessel. Possibly it could be isolated as a separate floating capsule weighted with water, since the net momentum change is zero.

  15. OMG NO. Anyone who is being rotated like this every two seconds is going to lose their lunch.Are we actually paying for this R&D? Is there a way I can get some NASA $ for my ideas which are actually not absurd?

  16. Given the comparison to a trampoline I wonder if some benefit might accrue from a setup with bungee cords strategically attached to one’s body combined with simply jumping ‘up’ against the cords and being pulled back ‘down’ by the cords. One issue might be the frequent shocks imparted to the rest of the space vessel. Possibly it could be isolated as a separate floating capsule weighted with water since the net momentum change is zero.

  17. I’ve written a couple stories featuring a “ring rail” system where a circular tunnel is cut in an asteroid, then rails and linear inductive motors installed to run a train of sleeper/office cars that simulate1G. It has a problem with Coriolis effect, but the 1Hz turn-over rate of the turbo lift system seems worse.

  18. Very good idea! Keep it long enough so the rotation doesn’t make you dizzy (since your head goes slower than your feet) and make sure you have good shielding on people side. And costs much less dollars.

  19. I’ve written a couple stories featuring a ring rail”” system where a circular tunnel is cut in an asteroid”” then rails and linear inductive motors installed to run a train of sleeper/office cars that simulate1G. It has a problem with Coriolis effect”” but the 1Hz turn-over rate of the turbo lift system seems worse.”””

  20. Very good idea! Keep it long enough so the rotation doesn’t make you dizzy (since your head goes slower than your feet), and make sure you have good shielding on people side. And costs much less dollars.

  21. Why not rotate two or more spacecraft parts with a decent tether between them? Very simple tech and the diameter of the system can be very big with existing technology.

  22. Why not rotate two or more spacecraft parts with a decent tether between them? Very simple tech and the diameter of the system can be very big with existing technology.

  23. Doing a skate board or motorcycle room should accomplish the desired result with more fun. Additionally, a double eye bungie cord room should also do the job while allowing nearly free movement and bounce variety while working. The astronauts(i.e. smart hamsters) could have autonomous creative bounce/rotation fun.

  24. Doing a skate board or motorcycle room should accomplish the desired result with more fun. Additionally a double eye bungie cord room should also do the job while allowing nearly free movement and bounce variety while working. The astronauts(i.e. smart hamsters) could have autonomous creative bounce/rotation fun.

  25. Rough design concept, to fit a ring track to an asteroid crater rim, typically the track being some kind of nearly flat plate with inductrak and a maglev train with a pantograph. Options to leave track open or cover, with the covered version lending itself well to a continuous tube ring (aka torus) train variant. No spokes, and some clever track arrangements to allow transfer cars to gracefully slow down and “fall down” towards the ring center along the track wall when separating from the train. Basically an anchored toroidal space station, but being track supported rather than spoke supported, keeping the center clear for different usage.

  26. Rough design concept to fit a ring track to an asteroid crater rim typically the track being some kind of nearly flat plate with inductrak and a maglev train with a pantograph. Options to leave track open or cover with the covered version lending itself well to a continuous tube ring (aka torus) train variant. No spokes and some clever track arrangements to allow transfer cars to gracefully slow down and fall down”” towards the ring center along the track wall when separating from the train.Basically an anchored toroidal space station”” but being track supported rather than spoke supported”” keeping the center clear for different usage.”””

  27. My idea differs in that it assumes tunnel boring machines will be ubiquitous in asteroid mining. And a tunnel is carved in the same dimensions as one of those wheels-in-space like in 2001. This sounds like the enclosed Circus Maximus design. I imagined parallel tracks for acceleration and deceleration transfer cars, OR something like the railroad mailbag scheme. I figured low-tech is fairly well understood and should not need much work to get working provided we build the parts in situ.

  28. My idea differs in that it assumes tunnel boring machines will be ubiquitous in asteroid mining. And a tunnel is carved in the same dimensions as one of those wheels-in-space like in 2001. This sounds like the enclosed Circus Maximus design. I imagined parallel tracks for acceleration and deceleration transfer cars OR something like the railroad mailbag scheme. I figured low-tech is fairly well understood and should not need much work to get working provided we build the parts in situ.

  29. My idea differs in that it assumes tunnel boring machines will be ubiquitous in asteroid mining. And a tunnel is carved in the same dimensions as one of those wheels-in-space like in 2001. This sounds like the enclosed Circus Maximus design. I imagined parallel tracks for acceleration and deceleration transfer cars, OR something like the railroad mailbag scheme. I figured low-tech is fairly well understood and should not need much work to get working provided we build the parts in situ.

  30. My idea differs in that it assumes tunnel boring machines will be ubiquitous in asteroid mining. And a tunnel is carved in the same dimensions as one of those wheels-in-space like in 2001. This sounds like the enclosed Circus Maximus design. I imagined parallel tracks for acceleration and deceleration transfer cars OR something like the railroad mailbag scheme. I figured low-tech is fairly well understood and should not need much work to get working provided we build the parts in situ.

  31. Rough design concept, to fit a ring track to an asteroid crater rim, typically the track being some kind of nearly flat plate with inductrak and a maglev train with a pantograph. Options to leave track open or cover, with the covered version lending itself well to a continuous tube ring (aka torus) train variant. No spokes, and some clever track arrangements to allow transfer cars to gracefully slow down and “fall down” towards the ring center along the track wall when separating from the train. Basically an anchored toroidal space station, but being track supported rather than spoke supported, keeping the center clear for different usage.

  32. Rough design concept to fit a ring track to an asteroid crater rim typically the track being some kind of nearly flat plate with inductrak and a maglev train with a pantograph. Options to leave track open or cover with the covered version lending itself well to a continuous tube ring (aka torus) train variant. No spokes and some clever track arrangements to allow transfer cars to gracefully slow down and fall down”” towards the ring center along the track wall when separating from the train.Basically an anchored toroidal space station”” but being track supported rather than spoke supported”” keeping the center clear for different usage.”””

  33. My idea differs in that it assumes tunnel boring machines will be ubiquitous in asteroid mining. And a tunnel is carved in the same dimensions as one of those wheels-in-space like in 2001. This sounds like the enclosed Circus Maximus design. I imagined parallel tracks for acceleration and deceleration transfer cars, OR something like the railroad mailbag scheme. I figured low-tech is fairly well understood and should not need much work to get working provided we build the parts in situ.

  34. Rough design concept, to fit a ring track to an asteroid crater rim, typically the track being some kind of nearly flat plate with inductrak and a maglev train with a pantograph. Options to leave track open or cover, with the covered version lending itself well to a continuous tube ring (aka torus) train variant. No spokes, and some clever track arrangements to allow transfer cars to gracefully slow down and “fall down” towards the ring center along the track wall when separating from the train.

    Basically an anchored toroidal space station, but being track supported rather than spoke supported, keeping the center clear for different usage.

  35. Doing a skate board or motorcycle room should accomplish the desired result with more fun. Additionally, a double eye bungie cord room should also do the job while allowing nearly free movement and bounce variety while working. The astronauts(i.e. smart hamsters) could have autonomous creative bounce/rotation fun.

  36. Doing a skate board or motorcycle room should accomplish the desired result with more fun. Additionally a double eye bungie cord room should also do the job while allowing nearly free movement and bounce variety while working. The astronauts(i.e. smart hamsters) could have autonomous creative bounce/rotation fun.

  37. Very good idea! Keep it long enough so the rotation doesn’t make you dizzy (since your head goes slower than your feet), and make sure you have good shielding on people side. And costs much less dollars.

  38. Very good idea! Keep it long enough so the rotation doesn’t make you dizzy (since your head goes slower than your feet) and make sure you have good shielding on people side. And costs much less dollars.

  39. Why not rotate two or more spacecraft parts with a decent tether between them? Very simple tech and the diameter of the system can be very big with existing technology.

  40. Why not rotate two or more spacecraft parts with a decent tether between them? Very simple tech and the diameter of the system can be very big with existing technology.

  41. Doing a skate board or motorcycle room should accomplish the desired result with more fun. Additionally, a double eye bungie cord room should also do the job while allowing nearly free movement and bounce variety while working. The astronauts(i.e. smart hamsters) could have autonomous creative bounce/rotation fun.

  42. I’ve written a couple stories featuring a “ring rail” system where a circular tunnel is cut in an asteroid, then rails and linear inductive motors installed to run a train of sleeper/office cars that simulate1G. It has a problem with Coriolis effect, but the 1Hz turn-over rate of the turbo lift system seems worse.

  43. I’ve written a couple stories featuring a ring rail”” system where a circular tunnel is cut in an asteroid”” then rails and linear inductive motors installed to run a train of sleeper/office cars that simulate1G. It has a problem with Coriolis effect”” but the 1Hz turn-over rate of the turbo lift system seems worse.”””

  44. OMG NO. Anyone who is being rotated like this every two seconds is going to lose their lunch. Are we actually paying for this R&D? Is there a way I can get some NASA $ for my ideas which are actually not absurd?

  45. OMG NO. Anyone who is being rotated like this every two seconds is going to lose their lunch.Are we actually paying for this R&D? Is there a way I can get some NASA $ for my ideas which are actually not absurd?

  46. Given the comparison to a trampoline, I wonder if some benefit might accrue from a setup with bungee cords strategically attached to one’s body, combined with simply jumping ‘up’ against the cords and being pulled back ‘down’ by the cords. One issue might be the frequent shocks imparted to the rest of the space vessel. Possibly it could be isolated as a separate floating capsule weighted with water, since the net momentum change is zero.

  47. Given the comparison to a trampoline I wonder if some benefit might accrue from a setup with bungee cords strategically attached to one’s body combined with simply jumping ‘up’ against the cords and being pulled back ‘down’ by the cords. One issue might be the frequent shocks imparted to the rest of the space vessel. Possibly it could be isolated as a separate floating capsule weighted with water since the net momentum change is zero.

  48. It is ‘fundamentally unserious’. Thing is, like it as not, The Government eructs a bolus of money every year for Stretch-Science projects across the board. 18th Century waistcoat moneybags of lucre. And, as is human nature, all masery of silliness can be packaged for believability. And to capture some of that gold. This is fundamentally flawed EVEN when using the short-list of criteria that is said to vex centrifugal / centripetal synthetic gravity methods. Accelerations of 1 second, drifting, slowly turning (so as to not seem bad), then reversing … is absolutely going to be as bad as any roller coaster ride I can imagine. Moreover, it seems that if “powerful vestibular crossing WillyWonkas” are a problem, then one need only ‘hang out’ in the centrifuge, at night. When sleeping. Or when doing rep-exercises. When you’re pretty well worked up to begin with. Just saying, GoatGuy

  49. It is ‘fundamentally unserious’. Thing is like it as not The Government eructs a bolus of money every year for Stretch-Science projects across the board. 18th Century waistcoat moneybags of lucre. And as is human nature all masery of silliness can be packaged for believability. And to capture some of that gold. This is fundamentally flawed EVEN when using the short-list of criteria that is said to vex centrifugal / centripetal synthetic gravity methods. Accelerations of 1 second drifting slowly turning (so as to not seem bad) then reversing … is absolutely going to be as bad as any roller coaster ride I can imagine. Moreover it seems that if powerful vestibular crossing WillyWonkas”” are a problem”” then one need only ‘hang out’ in the centrifuge at night. When sleeping. Or when doing rep-exercises. When you’re pretty well worked up to begin with. Just saying”” GoatGuy”””””””

  50. They figured out how to simulate doing flips on a trampoline in space, if the trampoline flipped over with you each time you attempted to jump. 😉

  51. They figured out how to simulate doing flips on a trampoline in space if the trampoline flipped over with you each time you attempted to jump. 😉

  52. Bone loss and muscle loss can be at least attenuated if not mitigated entirely with low dose testosterone treatment for men and low dose anavar treatment for women. With low doses, low travel time (less than 9 months), ancillaries and exercise – they’ll be absolutely fine without any long term side effects. These astronauts are typically in such incredible shape and are selected for cardiovascular condition anyway, the only people really at risk with androgen replacement or supplementation therapy are people with a serious cardiac risk factor history. NASA and space flight in general are just stuck in the stone age of endocrinology with this stuff. They won’t even look at it, despite overwhelming evidence that it would completely resolve their muscle and bone atrophy problem.

  53. Bone loss and muscle loss can be at least attenuated if not mitigated entirely with low dose testosterone treatment for men and low dose anavar treatment for women. With low doses low travel time (less than 9 months) ancillaries and exercise – they’ll be absolutely fine without any long term side effects. These astronauts are typically in such incredible shape and are selected for cardiovascular condition anyway the only people really at risk with androgen replacement or supplementation therapy are people with a serious cardiac risk factor history. NASA and space flight in general are just stuck in the stone age of endocrinology with this stuff. They won’t even look at it despite overwhelming evidence that it would completely resolve their muscle and bone atrophy problem.

  54. I’m kind of horrified that someone is taking it seriously. It seems to me that just having a 1G area produced by centrifical rotation which the crew accesses for several hours a day for exercise is really all that’s required. Lying down in a bed goes for simulating low-g here on Earth, so logically sleeping in zero-g or microgravity isn’t going to hurt anybody. Working in zero-g seems to be one of the premier economic potential attractions to being there at all. So 8 hours in the rec ring at 1G prescribed for all.

  55. I’m kind of horrified that someone is taking it seriously.It seems to me that just having a 1G area produced by centrifical rotation which the crew accesses for several hours a day for exercise is really all that’s required. Lying down in a bed goes for simulating low-g here on Earth so logically sleeping in zero-g or microgravity isn’t going to hurt anybody. Working in zero-g seems to be one of the premier economic potential attractions to being there at all.So 8 hours in the rec ring at 1G prescribed for all.

  56. This has got to be the silliest most bass ackwards thing I’ve heard of in a long time. They think as opposed to simply spinning this won’t produce motion sickness? The problem is desperately simple, long enough radius low enough RPM. That’s the whole deal. Different screen name because I’m signing on from my phone. This proposal is too stupid to wait for me to get to my PC.

  57. This has got to be the silliest most bass ackwards thing I’ve heard of in a long time. They think as opposed to simply spinning this won’t produce motion sickness?The problem is desperately simple long enough radius low enough RPM.That’s the whole deal.Different screen name because I’m signing on from my phone. This proposal is too stupid to wait for me to get to my PC.

  58. I’m having a hard time seeing how being abruptly rotated periodically is supposed to be better than continuously rotating at the same frequency. Except, I suppose, that you could learn not to make abrupt head movements while being flipped. Furthermore, this seems limited to short periods when you couldn’t be doing anything else, while standard centrifugal force is consistent with carrying on other activities while loaded, and can potentially go on for the entire trip. The idea seems fundamentally unserious to me.

  59. I’m having a hard time seeing how being abruptly rotated periodically is supposed to be better than continuously rotating at the same frequency. Except I suppose that you could learn not to make abrupt head movements while being flipped.Furthermore this seems limited to short periods when you couldn’t be doing anything else while standard centrifugal force is consistent with carrying on other activities while loaded and can potentially go on for the entire trip.The idea seems fundamentally unserious to me.

  60. Very good idea! Keep it long enough so the rotation doesn’t make you dizzy (since your head goes slower than your feet), and make sure you have good shielding on people side. And costs much less dollars.

  61. I’ve written a couple stories featuring a “ring rail” system where a circular tunnel is cut in an asteroid, then rails and linear inductive motors installed to run a train of sleeper/office cars that simulate1G. It has a problem with Coriolis effect, but the 1Hz turn-over rate of the turbo lift system seems worse.

  62. OMG NO. Anyone who is being rotated like this every two seconds is going to lose their lunch.

    Are we actually paying for this R&D? Is there a way I can get some NASA $ for my ideas which are actually not absurd?

  63. Given the comparison to a trampoline, I wonder if some benefit might accrue from a setup with bungee cords strategically attached to one’s body, combined with simply jumping ‘up’ against the cords and being pulled back ‘down’ by the cords.

    One issue might be the frequent shocks imparted to the rest of the space vessel. Possibly it could be isolated as a separate floating capsule weighted with water, since the net momentum change is zero.

  64. It is ‘fundamentally unserious’. Thing is, like it as not, The Government eructs a bolus of money every year for Stretch-Science projects across the board. 18th Century waistcoat moneybags of lucre. And, as is human nature, all masery of silliness can be packaged for believability. And to capture some of that gold.

    This is fundamentally flawed EVEN when using the short-list of criteria that is said to vex centrifugal / centripetal synthetic gravity methods. Accelerations of 1 second, drifting, slowly turning (so as to not seem bad), then reversing … is absolutely going to be as bad as any roller coaster ride I can imagine.

    Moreover, it seems that if “powerful vestibular crossing WillyWonkas” are a problem, then one need only ‘hang out’ in the centrifuge, at night. When sleeping. Or when doing rep-exercises. When you’re pretty well worked up to begin with.

    Just saying,
    GoatGuy

  65. They figured out how to simulate doing flips on a trampoline in space, if the trampoline flipped over with you each time you attempted to jump. 😉

  66. Bone loss and muscle loss can be at least attenuated if not mitigated entirely with low dose testosterone treatment for men and low dose anavar treatment for women. With low doses, low travel time (less than 9 months), ancillaries and exercise – they’ll be absolutely fine without any long term side effects. These astronauts are typically in such incredible shape and are selected for cardiovascular condition anyway, the only people really at risk with androgen replacement or supplementation therapy are people with a serious cardiac risk factor history. NASA and space flight in general are just stuck in the stone age of endocrinology with this stuff. They won’t even look at it, despite overwhelming evidence that it would completely resolve their muscle and bone atrophy problem.

  67. I’m kind of horrified that someone is taking it seriously.

    It seems to me that just having a 1G area produced by centrifical rotation which the crew accesses for several hours a day for exercise is really all that’s required. Lying down in a bed goes for simulating low-g here on Earth, so logically sleeping in zero-g or microgravity isn’t going to hurt anybody. Working in zero-g seems to be one of the premier economic potential attractions to being there at all.

    So 8 hours in the rec ring at 1G prescribed for all.

  68. This has got to be the silliest most bass ackwards thing I’ve heard of in a long time. They think as opposed to simply spinning this won’t produce motion sickness?

    The problem is desperately simple, long enough radius low enough RPM.

    That’s the whole deal.

    Different screen name because I’m signing on from my phone. This proposal is too stupid to wait for me to get to my PC.

  69. I’m having a hard time seeing how being abruptly rotated periodically is supposed to be better than continuously rotating at the same frequency. Except, I suppose, that you could learn not to make abrupt head movements while being flipped.

    Furthermore, this seems limited to short periods when you couldn’t be doing anything else, while standard centrifugal force is consistent with carrying on other activities while loaded, and can potentially go on for the entire trip.

    The idea seems fundamentally unserious to me.

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