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"This is a predictive tool I've used: There are goals we've sought for ten thousand years, and we'll go on seeking them. Instant transport and travel, immortality (or at least longevity and miracle cures.), instant learning …"
- Larry Niven
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| Acceleration Chair | ||
| A specially-designed chair used to help crew stay mobile during periods of high acceleration. |
One of the problems with conventional means of space travel (not involving faster than light) are the difficulties caused by the fact that accelerating the vehicle produces a force indistinguishable from gravity. Accelerating a ship at 10 meters per second per second would feel like earth-normal gravity.
| On the second day, Staley brought a new midshipman up to the bridge, both moving in traveling acceleration chairs. |
| From The Mote in God's Eye,
by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle). Published by Simon & Schuster in 1974 Additional resources -
|
At 20 meters per second per second, you would feel like you weighed twice as much. How could you move around without assistance?
Over the years, NASA has studied the problem of protecting people during high acceleration (both entering space and during re-entry). You would think that perfect physical specimens who underwent rigorous training and dietary regulation would do the best after the weightlessness of space travel. However, a study was performed in which sedentary and highly fit people were given a baseline acceleration tolerance test, then given 10 days of enforced bed rest. A second test was given following the bed rest.
The sedentary people were found to do better on the second test than the "perfect specimens." See the amusing article Fat Slobs in Space for additional details.
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Additional
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More Ideas
and Technology from The Mote in God's Eye
More Ideas
and Technology by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle)
Tech news articles related to The Mote in God's Eye
Tech news articles related to works by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle)
Acceleration Chair-related
news articles:
- MIT Wants To Catch Interstellar Visitors
| Changesite Mineral To Be Mined On Moon By China |
| Taikonaut Tai Chi Foot Loops |
| Space Billboards Would Ruin Our View Of The Cosmos |
| Orion's 'Skip-to-M'Lou' Entry |
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'The pokkecon rang again. *The coffee’s for him?* Tsuyoshi said.'
The Jetsons imagined so much future.
'Rod placed the brain inside the panel... the horse raised its head, wiggled its ears, blinked twice, gave a tentative whinny.'
'Pina2bo would have to operate full blast for many years to put as much SO2 into the stratosphere as its namesake had done in a few minutes.'
'Chain of hotels that specialized in non-human service.'
'But then... not every bulldozer operator works on the Moon.'
'Griff found the white and pink map distracting and switched it off using his tongue mouse.'
