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When utilizing "artificial gravity" generated through a rotating structure using centripetal force, i.e. a centrifuge, is there a minimum diameter or some other attribute that causes or helps alleviate any kind of nausea or motion sickness in humans?

2 Answers2

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The problem is about a so called 'comfort zone'. In fact it is not radius but a ratio of radius and angular velocity. Nausea or motion sickness is caused mostly by Coriolis acceleration which makes 'artificial gravity' different form nearly homogeneous earth gravity.

There is a real expert on topic Theodore W. Hall. Among a lot of staff about artificial gravity he published an

online calculator

which may provides the best answer of the question.

comfort zone of artificial gravity

Direct answer if your question is R<12 meters or <60 m for 1 g.

By the way, it is what the quality Sci-Fi movies lake 'Odyssey 2001' depicted. Arthur Clark and Stanley Kubrick have had some info on topic.

Val
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Is there a minimum diameter? Yes. Every study I've come across agrees on that.

What is that minimum diameter? As I found while answering this question over on WorldBuilding.SE, there's quite a bit of disagreement there. Allowable minimum diameters vary from as high as 180 km to as low as 8 meters.

Mark
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