Originally posted by joho0
They can't simulate true weightlessness but they can simulate apparent weightlessness.
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Hope this helps...
Nice explanation. I do think that the visuals and the changes in force will do the trick. However, I'm still skeptical about the "weightless feel" Let me use crude ASCII stick-figures to explain.
First, let's look at the "blast-off". The circle is the guy's head, the "I" his arms, the "<" his legs. The arrow pointing right is the direction of the force from the centrifuge.(think of it as the string that your pod is at the end of). The arrow at the bottom is gravity pulling down.
--------> O-I-<
. .. . . . . . .|
. .. . . . . . .|
. . . . . . . . V
Clearly, the centrifuge can create a significant (say 2 or 3 G) force, which will not only feel like a blast-off, but is significant enough you're unlikely to really notice the gravity. (And they could rotate you some - think of the guy's feet on a top that is spinning while he's on his side - so the gravity will keep changing direction - it'll confuse you so much you won't know which way is up).
However, look at the drawing of the supposed "weightless" feeling. Note that the stick figure has been flipped around:
--------> >-I-O
. .. . . . . . .|
. . .. . . . . .|
. . . . . . . . V
I don't see how a force that will lift you out of your seat, but not counter gravity, will feel "weightless". The two forces don't counter each other at all. Yes, you will be pulled out of your seat with one force, but that's not weightlessness, it's negative-g's. I guess a light "pulling out of seat" force with the standing-on-a-slowly-spinning-top effect to confuse you which way the downward pulling force is coming from, along with visual cues that make you think you're weightless, may sort of feel like weightlessness. But I bet if you close your eyes, you'll know which way is up, so to speak.
Am I misunderstanding things, or is this how it's going to work? If so, I wonder how good the weightlessness feeling will be. (I bet the launch is something else, though...) What are other people's thoughts?