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Space exploration first began in October 1957 when Russia launched the probe Sputnik 1.
Since that initial leap, humanity has achieved much more; putting men on the moon, sending
rovers to mars, and even creating electricity-powered propulsion devices, and were only
reaching for more. In coming expeditions that NASA is planning, astronauts will be in space for
longer periods than ever before, and many new issues will have to have been solved. There's
need for long-duration space travelers to counter such debilitating effects as muscle atrophy,
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After a record-breaking year in space, Scott Kelley came back to Earth and received post-flight
tests. On Earth, gravity pulls fluid towards our feet, but in space, that doesn't happen. [D]uring
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Scott Kelly's year in space, a two-litre bottle's worth of liquid shifted to his brain. The usual
amount of cerebrospinal fluid in the head is 125-150 ml, with a pressure of 150-180 mm H2O. It
accumulates naturally at a rate of 400-500 ml/day (about .36 ml/min). All of this extra fluid in
the skull could be putting pressure on the back of the eyeballs, causing them to flatten, and
pushing the retinas forward to distort vision - at least that's what scientist think is happening.
(Macdonald)
He is just one astronaut that has experienced side effects that are all caused by a common factor:
the lack of gravity. Upon more extensive research from NASA, it was recently discovered that 80
percent of astronauts suffer drastic vision changes after their time outside the effects of gravity.
One of the reported issues is nearsightedness, Shayla Love reports for The Washington Post. To
try to explain these changes, approximately 300 astronauts have been required to take vision
tests, such as MRIs and OCT scans, before and after space travel. Prompted by persistent
reports of vision changes, NASA began a stepwise operational process to determine the cause(s).
Several ophthalmic procedures were initiated on astronauts, including dilated fundus (the rear
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portion of the eye) examinations with binocular ophthalmoscopy, cycloplegic refraction, optical
coherence tomography (OCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of orbits, and fundus
All of these tests point to a long-term buildup of fluid behind the eyes which leads to flattening
of the retina, causing inflammation of the optic nerve. Vision can be reduced from 20/20 to
20/100 in 6 months, making a serious issue for astronauts taking 8 months just to reach Mars.
For a mission that is extremely long term (possibly years), there is no way to tell how severe the
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side effects may be. Because of this, measures need to be taken to protect our astronauts.
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As astronauts continue to take surveys of these side effects, the problems will become more
concrete. One thing that is for certain is that these problems are caused by the lack of gravity in
space. Continues research in this area is extremely important for astronaut safety and is critical
for the future of space exploration. Companies such as SpaceX have high hopes for humans
future in space, and they need a way to prevent the effects of no gravity in space.
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Previous Attempts
Artificial gravity is an idea that has existed as long as space travel itself. Interest spiked
after the 1968 moon landing when NASA realized the complications of astronauts spending time
without gravity. In modern day films, many theoretical ideas for creating gravity can be seen. It
is no coincidence that no one is floating around in Star Trek. There have been a number of real
plans and attempts to create artificial gravity as well, but none have succeeded.
The first patent for artificial gravity was filed in 1968 but was never followed through.
Artificial gravity is a very complex idea, and the patent filed in 1968 was not much more than
wishful thinking. Despite this, this patent was the start of what would be a key talking point in
spave travel. After that, the first prominent attempt came to light in 1990. Robin Zubrin and
David Baker were planning a mission to Mars called Mars Direct in which there would be a
rotating chamber that spun around a central axis. The worlds technology had come far since
1968, but creating a huge rotating chamber that spins quick enough to generate 1G is no small
task. This mission was far ahead of its time in concept, so the technology was not there for it to
be executed.
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The next attempt was in 2005 for a mission with the Discovery II (Pictured above). This
was a proposal that would send a 172-metric-ton ship and crew to Jupiters orbit in 118 days.
Inside this craft, there wouldve been a small spherical crew station. Similar to some other
designs, this room would use spinning to simulate the effects of gravity and provide a more
natural environment for the astronauts. At this point, the idea is seeming closer to possible than
impossible, but it still proved to be too much to handle in terms of technology and money.
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A few years later, there was a proposal called the Mars Gravity Biosatellite (Pictured
above). The plan was to send fifteen mice into space so NASA could study the effects of .36 Gs
(Mars gravity) for a long period of time. This experiment would give insight into the effects of
being affected by only a portion of Earths gravity. The mice were suppose to be in orbit for five
weeks then land back on Earth alive. This program was canceled on June 24, 2009 due to lack of
Two years after the cancelling of the Mars gravity Biosatellite project was cancelled; two
more proposals arose. The first was the ISS Centrifuge Demo. This proposal was a preparatory
project to help finish the design for the larger torus-shaped space habitat. After the completion of
this project, NASA hoped to create a second portion that was much larger and more complex.The
second project being designed was the Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle. The outside
diameter of this centrifuge was supposed to be about 30 feet, and the spinning would provide .08
to .51 gs. With the whole vehicle rotating, it would allow for a partial G while just walking
around the entire ship. Both of these designs were never followed through with because of lack
of funding in NASA.
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1. The solution, when implemented and used properly will prevent effects caused by
the lack of gravity in space by resolving issues described in the problem statement.
Any solution that does not meet this requirement will not be considered when we decide which
solution is the most viable. The solution must comply with our main problem statement (To
create innovative technology that will feasibly and efficiently simulate gravity in space.)
2. The solution must have enough force once at speed to drain cerebrospinal fluid from the
head.
Cerebrospinal fluid is quintessential to the problem that astronauts are facing. This fluid
is building up in astronauts heads and causing serious health issues. When used, our solution
must have enough force to push this force out of the head.
3. The solution will not induce any sort of harm to the astronaut.
In this specification, harm is defined as any physical injury. The mechanical aspects of
the solution need to be tested and secured. Any sort of dislodged bolt or screw could potentially
4. The solution must create less than 5 Gs for the entirety of its use.
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5 Gs is the fatal limit for a human over a long period of time. If this limit is exceeded,
there could be extreme harm inflicted on the astronaut- as extreme as death. One G is what acts
5. The solution must balance itself out as to not tilt the spaceship.
Whenever our solution is being used, it is going to create a rotational vector in some
direction that acts on the spaceship. In order for the solution to be successful, it must balance its
own force out otherwise it will tilt the entire space ship.
If the technology needed to create our solution does not exist, then it will be impossible
to create a prototype. As partners, we do not possess the time nor the resources to create any
When space shuttles launch, they are packed as efficiently as possible with the room they
have. In order to save money, no extra space can be spared. The final product needs to be
completely optimized for the amount of space it uses. Without optimization, space is wasted and
with space goes money. Considering that our design will be put in a spaceship, it is confined by
this restraint. If the final product takes more than an allotted space, it must be ruled out.
weight added to the initial launch of a space ship must be worth the cost.
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9. The solution will have low or no effects involving nausea, dizziness, or loss of
consciousness
The chosen design must not challenge the Coriolis effect. Because of the rotation of the
solution, motion sickness is a specific worry. If the astronauts get sick or passes out every time
Over the long amounts of time spent between destinations in space, limited propellant,
liquid or gas, can be used. Therefore, the design must be able to operate with essentially no input
Decision Matrix
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Specification 1: The solution, when implemented and used properly will prevent effects caused
by the lack of gravity in space by resolving issues described in the problem statement.
1-5 Scale
1- The solution does not effectively prevent some or all of the effects caused by the lack of
gravity.
Specification 2: The solution must have enough force once at speed to drain cerebrospinal fluid
1-5 Scale
5- Without any issue, the design is able to consistently provide the necessary force to drain
1- The force provided by the design is not high enough to drain cerebrospinal fluid.
Specification 3: The solution will not induce any sort of harm to the astronaut.
1-5 Scale
5- The final solution is fully secured, there is almost 0 chance that the astronauts will be harmed.
1- The design is not reliable in terms of safety. There is an extremely high chance that the an
Specification 4: The solution must create less than 5 Gs for the entirety of its use.
1-5 Scale
5- Does not under any circumstance pass 5 Gs in order to guarantee the astronauts G tolerance
not broken.
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1- There is no guarantee of the amount of Gs the machine can produce. If spun enough, it could
Specification 5: The solution must balance itself out as to not tilt the spaceship.
1-5 Scale
5- 100 percent of the force created by the spinning process is cancelled by another process and
1- No balancing process is involved in the design and allows the ship to tilt according to the
force.
Specification 6: The technology needed in order to execute the solution must exist.
1-5 Scale
1- Little of the technology needed is created or accessible to the public; new technology will
have to be made.
1-5 Scale
5- Machine is effectively designed and efficiently uses the space it takes up inside the ship.
1- The design is not optimized and has a lot of blank space that is not necessary to function.
1-5 Scale
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5- The solution uses the lightest possible materials and has a relatively low mass as to reduce
launch cost.
1- System is very dense and high in mass, and would most likely reduce the ability of the
Specification 9: The solution will have low or no effects involving nausea, dizziness, or loss of
consciousness
1-5 Scale
1-5 Scale
Decision Matrix
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 Totals
D1 5 5 4 5 5 5 4 4 4 5 46
D2 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 3 5 3 42
D3 4 3 3 4 5 5 4 4 1 5 38
D4 4 4 4 4 3 2 3 1 4 3 31
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D5 4 5 2 2 4 5 2 1 1 5 32
D2- Ion Drive that accelerates a spaceship to create its own gravity.
References
Anderson, R. (2015, June 22). Can artificial gravity be created in space? (Intermediate) -
http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/about-us/150-people-in-astronomy/space-exploration-and-
astronauts/general-questions/927-can-artificial-gravity-be-created-in-space-intermediate
David, L. (2004, November 25). Artificial Gravity: A New Spin on an Old Idea.
idea.html
http://www.glaucoma.org/glaucoma/anatomy-of-the-eye.php
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http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a8965/why-dont-we-have-artificial-
gravity-15425569/
Francisco, D. R. (2016, July 14). Vision Impairment and Intracranial Pressure (VIIP).
Retrieved from
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/1038.html
Frett, T., Petrat, G., W. A. van Loon, J. J., Hemmersbach, R., & Anken, R. (2016).
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Hollingham 18 November 2014, R. (2014, November 18). The rise and fall of artificial
the-weight
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https://www.headway.org.uk/about-brain-injury/individuals/types-of-brain-
injury/hydrocephalus/
J. (2011, February 13). 360 Bike at Wonderworks. Retrieved August 13, 2016, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lJ_cMB9soI
Macdonald, F. (2016, July 11). There's something in space that's ruining astronauts'
making-astronauts-short-sighted
News, B. (2012, March 13). Long space missions 'may damage eyesight' Retrieved July
http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/action/fluids.cfm
http://www.regentsprep.org/regents/physics/phys06/bartgrav/default.htm
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http://teaching.pharmacy.umn.edu/courses/eyeAP/Eye_Anatomy/AssociatedStructures/Vi
treous.htm