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Space & Astronomy

Mars rocket to have running track, claims Musk

By T.K. Randall
June 9, 2018 · Comment icon 5 comments

An artist's impression of the BFR docked at the ISS. Image Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has hinted at having astronauts run around the BFR like in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
If there's one thing Musk certainly isn't short of it's ambition, having already revealed plans to land colonists on Mars in the not-too-distant future and to develop a gigantic rocket to get them there.

Known as the BFR (Big Friendly Rocket), the enormous launch vehicle will be the most powerful rocket in history with the ability to send large payloads all the way to the Red Planet.

For those traveling aboard the rocket however, Musk has borrowed an idea from Stanley Kubrick's critically-acclaimed movie adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's novel 2001: A Space Odyssey.
In the film, the astronauts can be seen keeping fit by running around the inside of the ship's hull, a feat made possible by the centrifugal force of the ship as it rotates.

According to Musk, astronauts on the BFR will be able to do very much the same thing.



Source: Inverse.com | Comments (5)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by pallidin 7 years ago
Well, I can certainly see the need to maintain both mental and physical fitness during such a long journey. And it should be noted, as we all know, that physical fitness is important to proper mental fitness in regards to blood circulation in the brain, production of natural endorphins, and a generally heightened sense of well-being and self-accomplishment.
Comment icon #2 Posted by Calibeliever 7 years ago
The problem with using centripetal force as a gravity substitute in space travel is the scale necessary. If the wheel isn't large enough then a person will experience their feet moving faster than their head, which would be very disorienting. Even a small difference makes it very difficult to maintain equilibrium. Technically this happens on earth, but the scale is so huge we don't notice it. I read something on this a while back and the size of the wheel would have to be prohibitively enormous to keep people from getting sick or flinging their coffee about while trying to walk steadily forwa... [More]
Comment icon #3 Posted by Waspie_Dwarf 7 years ago
Why does it have to be a wheel shape? The same effect can be achieved with much smaller craft (at a much lower cost) by using a tether and a counter balance.
Comment icon #4 Posted by Calibeliever 7 years ago
Oh yeah, I'm sure simulated gravity is solvable. I was just commenting on a wheel as a running track. It would have to be one big wheel. I'm sure someone out there has done the math by now. 
Comment icon #5 Posted by Waspie_Dwarf 7 years ago
Ah, I see your point.


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