Celestia Forums

I'm sure most of us are aware of it by now, but I'd like to see the Celestia Community's input.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17354304

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on 27 spacefarers found effects similar to those that can occur in intracranial hypertension, which results in a build up of pressure within the skull.

The concern would be that astronauts could suffer eyesight problems.

The study is reported in the Journal of Radiology.

What implications do you see this situation presenting? How will this affect our travel plans? Any thoughts on how it might be fixed, or if it even can be fixed?

The vision problems seem to be caused by an extended lack of gravity. Personally I suspect that there are many other so far undetected problems with the same cause. An obvious method to reduce such problems is to provide artificial gravity using centrifugal forces. Rotating habitats have been proposed since long before people went into space.

Bah... Into the void, pressure makes jokes... From an eye evolved at first for not implode in billion of years to an eye ready to explode in 50 years. One should tell the fish how feel itself when is on the atmosphere...

selden wrote:The vision problems seem to be caused by an extended lack of gravity. Personally I suspect that there are many other so far undetected problems with the same cause. An obvious method to reduce such problems is to provide artificial gravity using centrifugal forces. Rotating habitats have been proposed since long before people went into space.

One thing that comes to my mind about that, if rotating modules or parts are used on a ship that can go to Mars or beyond, wouldn't they need a lubricant of some sort to keep things running smoothly and minimize parts wearing out from constant grinding? IIRC, the vast majority of mechanical objects, electronic or otherwise, with moving parts, require lubricants of some sort, and IIRC, lubricants as we know them might not work in space, considering they're liquidy or oozy (oils?), and thus would ball up.

Did they fix that problem with the crane used in the space shuttle, or come up with a work around that made it work?

PlutonianEmpire wrote:One thing that comes to my mind about that, if rotating modules or parts are used on a ship that can go to Mars or beyond, wouldn't they need a lubricant of some sort to keep things running smoothly and minimize parts wearing out from constant grinding? IIRC, the vast majority of mechanical objects, electronic or otherwise, with moving parts, require lubricants of some sort, and IIRC, lubricants as we know them might not work in space, considering they're liquidy or oozy (oils?), and thus would ball up.

My O'Neill Colonies use giant "electromagnetic" bearings at rotating axes, using the repulsive/attractive forces to provide a frictionless bearing (similar in principle to the technique a maglev train uses to float 10mm above it's guideway).
This just requires a continuous supply of electricity, of which there will be no shortage of in these colonies!

For small ships like we'll probably be using to get to Mars, you can just rotate the entire ship. There would be no need for bearings in that case.