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Gravity Balloons
#9
I like the self-gravitating approach to resisting 1-bar of pressure.

Instead of the many layers of flow dividers, you could just use a single-layered, closed aluminum (or plexiglas, or whatever) shell. The total air frictional losses between the solid shell and the internal spinning habitat should be about the same as the many-layered flow divider, and a single shell simplifies a lot of design issues (dissipating frictional heat, maintenance access, etc.) Poke a few holes in both shells and you've got free ventilation, delivered by the same electric motors that maintain the internal shell's spin against drag.

As for walking out of the spinning habitats, I'm not sure how practical that approach would be. For habitats that keep their angular rotation down to stomach-friendly rotation rates (1rpm or less for most people; 1-3rpm with adaptation), you're looking at ~2km-diameter habitats for 1G. You'd need mechanical transport - elevators or some parallel "subway car" system" - to debark. It wouldn't be hard to move between adjacent habitats, but it'd be a move of more than a few kilometers.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
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"Everbody's always in favor of saving Hitler's brain, but when you put it in the body of a great white shark, oh, suddenly you've gone too far." -- Professor Farnsworth, Futurama
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Messages In This Thread
Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 12-08-2013, 08:36 PM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 12-15-2013, 05:49 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by ai_vin - 12-15-2013, 07:25 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by ai_vin - 12-15-2013, 07:27 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 12-15-2013, 07:54 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by AlanSE - 12-19-2013, 07:15 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 12-21-2013, 06:19 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by JohnnyYesterday - 12-21-2013, 05:53 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by Cray - 03-06-2014, 11:18 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by AlanSE - 05-24-2014, 04:14 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 03-06-2014, 05:49 PM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by Cray - 03-07-2014, 12:13 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by AlanSE - 05-24-2014, 04:30 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 03-07-2014, 02:47 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by Cray - 03-07-2014, 03:24 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 11-19-2014, 01:18 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by Drashner1 - 11-19-2014, 02:09 PM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 11-19-2014, 05:54 PM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 11-19-2014, 07:31 PM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 12-31-2014, 04:32 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by AlanSE - 03-25-2015, 04:01 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 03-25-2015, 05:42 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 03-27-2015, 07:24 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by sandcastles - 07-02-2016, 11:06 AM
RE: Gravity Balloons - by stevebowers - 07-03-2016, 07:15 AM

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