![]() Such a rapid adjustment surprised the researchers. Given specific motion goals (such as reaching out to touch a target), people in their study learned to move accurately after only 10 to 20 attempts. We've found that when a specific goal is given for the motion, people adapt rather quickly." ![]() "But in those experiments, the subjects didn't have well-defined goals for their movements. "Experiments done in the 1960s seemed to show that people did not adapt well to rotation," says Lackner, the Meshulam and Judith Riklis Professor of Physiology at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Credit: John Frassanito and Associates, Inc. Click to view a 300 kb Quicktime movie of the Mars-bound ship in motion. They also hope to find training techniques that could help ease the transition from non-spinning to spinning, and back again.Ībove: An artist's concept of a spinning spaceship. With support from NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research, these two scientists are performing a series of experiments with people in rotating chambers to learn how well astronauts might adjust to life onboard spinning spaceships. That's what researchers James Lackner and Paul DiZio are trying to figure out. Could astronauts adapt to this? And if so, could they adapt well enough to perform dependably in the life-threatening environment of space? The problem is, spinning spaceships also come with a strong Coriolis effect. Inside a spinning spaceship, on the other hand, there would be an artificial gravity (due to centrifugal forces) that keeps bodies strong and makes everyday living easier. It's tricky to eat and drink, and even use the bathroom. Researchers have long known that spinning spaceships like a merry-go-round could solve a lot of problems: In weightlessness, astronaut's bones and muscles weaken. Space travel could be a Coriolis experience, too. Credit: University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana. Click to view the full-length movie (2 MB), which beautifully illustrates the Coriolis effect. But playing ball on a merry-go-round is definitely a Coriolis experience. Contrary to popular belief, Coriolis forces do not control your bathroom drains-Earth doesn't spin that fast. Hurricanes swirl because of the Coriolis effect, the spinning platform being Earth itself. Physicists call this the "Coriolis effect," and it happens on any spinning platform. You'll feel your arm pulled strangely to one side as you make the throw, and once in flight, the ball will veer wildly. Try throwing the ball to your friend across the ride from you, or even just a few feet beside you, and see if they can catch it on the first attempt. Next time you go to a playground, try this: Bring along a ball and a friend, and get on the merry-go-round. One day, astronauts might travel through the solar system onboard spinning spaceships.
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