Type S as a Tailsitter Prolate Spheroid

[Grav_Moped]

Originally Posted by AnotherDilbert

Is the population density really that high?

Checking... OC has a lower pop density than the Netherlands (still mostly farmland), but of course crazy high compared to Sweden.

It's not the population density, it's the cost of the land under the house.

[coliver988]

Originally Posted by Grav_Moped

It's not the population density, it's the cost of the land under the house.

That. My sister lives in a DC suburb so housing is crazy. Of course, I live in Asheville, NC and housing is crazy but we have a lot more space.

Back on topic: could just use a grav shaft: ladder/guide rails but no gravity. 'Course then you may have to do a Zero G success roll to use it

edit: plus, in the event of losing gravity for whatever reason, you are already used to it!

[whartung]

Originally Posted by AnotherDilbert

Is the population density really that high?

No.

They want it that high.

They want more density.

Much of OC is built out.

Several years ago, we got a blue bird gift in that two, large, military air bases got decommissioned. Much of what was scheduled to be done with that land got derailed in 2008, but it's all coming back strong now.

They're not going to build them up as 10,000 sq foot lots, that's for sure.

They're boosting density in order to get people closer to where they work, and reduce overall traffic. Improve public transit.

There's a corridor of light industrial buildings that have all been torn down and replaced with high density apartments, condos, and townhomes.

[Grav_Moped]

Originally Posted by coliver988

That. My sister lives in a DC suburb so housing is crazy. Of course, I live in Asheville, NC and housing is crazy but we have a lot more space.

Back on topic: could just use a grav shaft: ladder/guide rails but no gravity. 'Course then you may have to do a Zero G success roll to use it

edit: plus, in the event of losing gravity for whatever reason, you are already used to it!

That's a good idea. I'd keep it at 0.1G or less -- just enough to maintain orientation, but low enough to prevent dropped objects (or falling personel) from reaching dangerous velocities.
But, what if the artificial gravity fails? That's a long climb at 1G, let alone 2G...


Oh, and for what it's worth, the artificial gravity only needs to pull upwards, and doesn't need to be reversible. Perceived gravity would then be 0-1G downward, depending on the ship's actual acceleration level.

Now, you'd probably make it reversible so things are always at 1G regardless of acceleration, just for consistency. But you don't have to if you want your spaceships to work differently.

And if it's reversible, you can use it as an elevator. Step in to the 0-G shaft, select your destination level, and you fall (up or down) to that level, get stopped by the grav field, and held at 0G at that level until you step back out.

[mike wightman]

If you are using a magic reactionless maneuver drive then there is no 'effective gravity' from acceleration.
It's only reaction drives that will grant the illusion of gravity.

[kilemall]

Originally Posted by mike wightman

If you are using a magic reactionless maneuver drive then there is no 'effective gravity' from acceleration.
It's only reaction drives that will grant the illusion of gravity.

Why not?


The reactionless part only refers to the means of generating acceleration, that acceleration is still happening and therefore a 1G ship is still accelerating towards the position of those aboard.



If you are freefall within the ship when it starts accelerating, that's a wall/bulkhead coming at you at 10/m per second, if you are standing on a tailsitter floor your body is having to work to compensate for that push as though it were on a 1G planet, and if you 'drop' a rock and a feather the ship rushes up towards them at the same rate and gives the illusion of gravity working on a normal world.


If somehow the ship's drive is 'accelerating everything in the field equally' such that the crewman floating in zero-g when the ship starts accel remains in perfect relative motion without any connection to the ship, I've got to think you're going to have some VERY strange physics onboard, and some real difficulty in moving and doing anything. Or, everything is zero-G all the time unless you postulate artificial gravity.

[mike wightman]

Reactionless - no reaction

no reaction no imaginary gravity.

The magic reaction drive is accelerating everything within the drive's volume of effect - ie you are accelerated at the same rate as the floor, walls etc so you are weightless.

[AnotherDilbert]

Originally Posted by mike wightman

no reaction no imaginary gravity.

The drive may be "reactionless", but you are not.

Originally Posted by mike wightman

The magic reaction drive is accelerating everything within the drive's volume of effect - ie you are accelerated at the same rate as the floor, walls etc so you are weightless.

No, MT makes it clear that M-drives creates thrust that pushes the M-drive itself.

There is no field accelerating the entire ship (with content) equally.


So, a force accelerates the M-drive, the force is distributed to the ship, and you, accelerating it the conventional Newtonian way with "equal but opposite effect" and hence perceived acceleration.

Originally Posted by kilemall

The reactionless part only refers to the means of generating acceleration, that acceleration is still happening and therefore a 1G ship is still accelerating towards the position of those aboard.

Yes, exactly.

[Condottiere]

If the drive were reactionless, we wouldn't need inertial compensators.

[whartung]

It also wouldn't instill momentum, would it?