# Help with design of space station (for short story) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 21, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-design-of-space-station-for-short-story/816542 "2018-06-21T22:21:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-design-of-space-station-for-short-story/816542/1 "2018-06-21T22:21:34Z")
I am starting to write a short story that involves a space station with a wagon-wheel design for centrifugal gravity. I used this site, [SpinCalc](https://www.artificial-gravity.com/sw/SpinCalc/), and came up with a station with a circumference of 4800 feet, diameter of 1527 and a spin rate of 1.959RPM, which I have read will not cause motion sickness. My question is, how would the curve of the station seem to a person walking inside? If you drew a straight line between two points 50 (or 100) feet apart, how much would the point in the middle be lower by? I just want to get a feel for what it would be like inside. I tried to figure out how to do the math, but I have no idea how to go about doing it. Any help would be great. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-design-of-space-station-for-short-story/816542/2 "2018-06-22T02:53:48Z")
If my math is correct, about every 13’ is 1 degree of arc. Depending on ceiling level, which determines field of view, I’d get the feeling of always walking up a slight incline. I don’t think the middle of the view would be “lower” as such as I am always at the lowest point. Forward and backwards curl up and away. ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-design-of-space-station-for-short-story/816542/3 "2018-06-22T03:23:37Z")
If you draw a 50-foot straight line, the point in the middle would be about 5 inches lower. If you draw a 100-foot straight line, the point in the middle would be about 20 inches lower. If you draw an x-foot straight line, the point in the middle would be about (2400/pi - sqrt((2400/pi)^2-(x/2)^2))\*12 inches lower. If you were in a cylindrical\* hallway on the edge of the space station with an 8-foot ceiling and your eyes were 5’6" above the ground, you could see a spot on the ceiling 61’6" away from your eyes. You could then see a further 110’3" of floor. (Those are straight line distances, but the length along the floor or ceiling would be similar.) There would be a dip of about 2’3" between your feet and the furthest spot you could see. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-design-of-space-station-for-short-story/816542/4 "2018-06-27T00:43:01Z")
Thanks for the replies. It’s just the info I needed. But I have another question, would an actual spaceship be possible with this method of mimicking gravity? Because there acceleration would cause a force pulling them in effect towards the back wall. What kind of acceleration would not be felt enough to be a problem? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-design-of-space-station-for-short-story/816542/5 "2018-06-27T01:29:33Z")
The typical method for spaceships in fiction (The Discovery from 2001, for example) relied on accelerating with a non-spinning wheel, perpendicular to the direction of flight, which would be spun up once they were moving. I believe that Niven used a still-spinning model for a ship in his first Man-Kzin novel which used a laser as the engine; I don’t remember the acceleration, but it was pretty low. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-design-of-space-station-for-short-story/816542/6 "2018-06-27T17:08:48Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-design-of-space-station-for-short-story/816542/7 "2018-06-28T20:55:09Z")
One thing to consider is the minimization of materials per volume. Now a sphere is optimal but it makes the centrifugal artificial gravity messy. I’d go for a squat cylinder with a decent radius. It’s sort of the wagon wheel parameters with no materials used for the spokes and arms. Mass into orbit is a bitch. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-design-of-space-station-for-short-story/816542/8 "2018-06-28T21:25:29Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > The typical method for spaceships in fiction (The Discovery from 2001, for example) relied on accelerating with a non-spinning wheel, perpendicular to the direction of flight, which would be spun up once they were moving. I believe that Niven used a still-spinning model for a ship in his first Man-Kzin novel which used a laser as the engine; I don’t remember the acceleration, but it was pretty low. _Angel’s Pencil_ would make 0.5g at maximum. The protocol aboard ship was to cease rotation any time drive thrust was needed or expected.