Weight as the force with which any body acts on a surface, support or suspension. Weight arises due to the gravitational attraction of the Earth. Numerically, the weight is equal to the force of gravity, but the latter is applied to the center of mass of the body, while the weight is applied to the support.
Weightlessness - zero weight, can occur if there is no gravitational force, that is, the body is sufficiently away from massive objects that can attract it.
The International Space Station is located 350 km from Earth. At this distance, the acceleration of gravity (g) is 8.8 m/s2, which is only 10% less than on the surface of the planet.
This is rarely seen in practice - gravitational influence always exists. Astronauts on the ISS are still affected by the Earth, but there is weightlessness there.
Another case of weightlessness occurs when gravity is compensated by other forces. For example, the ISS is subject to gravity, slightly reduced due to distance, but the station also moves in a circular orbit at escape velocity and centrifugal force compensates for gravity.
Weightlessness on Earth
The phenomenon of weightlessness is also possible on Earth. Under the influence of acceleration, body weight can decrease and even become negative. The classic example given by physicists is a falling elevator.
If the elevator moves downward with acceleration, then the pressure on the elevator floor, and therefore the weight, will decrease. Moreover, if the acceleration is equal to the acceleration of gravity, that is, the elevator falls, the weight of the bodies will become zero.
Negative weight is observed if the acceleration of the elevator movement exceeds the acceleration of gravity - the bodies inside will “stick” to the ceiling of the cabin.
This effect is widely used to simulate weightlessness in astronaut training. The aircraft, equipped with a training chamber, rises to a considerable height. After which it dives down along a ballistic trajectory, in fact, the machine levels off at the surface of the earth. When diving from 11 thousand meters, you can get 40 seconds of weightlessness, which is used for training.
There is a misconception that such people perform complex figures, like the “Nesterov loop,” to achieve weightlessness. In fact, modified production passenger aircraft, which are incapable of complex maneuvers, are used for training.
Physical Expression
The physical formula for weight (P) during accelerated movement of a support, be it a falling bodice or a diving aircraft, is as follows:
where m is body mass,
g – free fall acceleration,
a is the acceleration of the support.
When g and a are equal, P=0, that is, weightlessness is achieved.
We live in a time when flights of spacecraft around the Earth, to the Moon and to other planets of the solar system are no longer surprising. We know that during flight, astronauts and all objects on spaceships are in a special state called the state of weightlessness. What kind of state is this and can it be observed on Earth? Weightlessness is a complex physical phenomenon. In order to understand it, you need to remember something from the physics course.
So, by the weight of a body we mean the force with which the body, due to attraction to the Earth, presses on the support.
Imagine that the support and the body are freely falling. After all, a support is also a body on which gravity acts. What will be the weight of the body in this case: with what force will the body act on the support?
Let's conduct an experiment. Let's take a small body and hang it from a spring attached to a fixed support. Under the influence of gravity, the body begins to move downward, so the spring stretches until an elastic force arises in it, which balances the force of gravity. If you cut off the thread holding the spring and the body, the spring and the body will fall. You can see that during the fall, the tension in the spring disappears and it returns to its original size.
What happens? When a spring with a body falls, it remains unstretched. That is, the falling body does not act on the spring falling with it. In this case, the weight of the body is zero, but the body and the spring fall, which means that the force of gravity still acts on them.
In the same way, if the body and the stand or support on which the body lies fall freely, then the body will stop putting pressure on the stand or support. In this case, the body weight will be equal to zero.
Similar phenomena are observed on spacecraft and satellites. The satellite orbiting the Earth, the astronaut and all the bodies that are inside the satellite are in continuous free fall (they seem to fall to the Earth). As a result of this, the bodies do not put pressure on the support during the fall and do not stretch the spring. Such bodies are said to be in a state of weightlessness (“no weight”, weight is zero).
Bodies not secured in the spacecraft “float” freely. Liquid poured into a vessel does not press on the bottom and walls of the vessel, so it does not flow out through the hole in the vessel. Clock pendulums rest in any position in which they are left. The astronaut does not need any effort to keep his arm or leg in an extended position. His idea of where is up and where is down disappears. If you give a body speed relative to the satellite cabin, then it will move rectilinearly and uniformly until it collides with other bodies.
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« Physics - 10th grade"
Remember the definition of gravity. Could she disappear?
As we know, gravity is the force with which the Earth attracts a body located on its surface or near this surface.
Body weight called the force with which this body acts on a horizontal support or stretches the suspension.
Weight is not a force of any specific nature. This name is given to a special case of the manifestation of elastic force.
The weight acts directly on the spring scale pan and stretches the spring; under the influence of this force the yoke of the lever scales rotates.
Let us explain this with a simple example.
Let body A be on a horizontal support B (Fig. 3.9), which can serve as a scale pan.
We denote the force of gravity by , and the force of pressure of the body on the support (weight) by 1.
The modulus of the ground reaction force is equal to the modulus of weight 1 according to Newton's third law.
The force is directed in the direction opposite to the weight 1
The ground reaction force is applied not to the support but to the body located on it.
While the force of gravity is due to the interaction of the body with the Earth, weight 1 appears as a result of a completely different interaction - the interaction of body A and support B.
Therefore, weight has characteristics that significantly distinguish it from gravity.
The most important feature of weight is that its value depends on the acceleration with which the support moves.
When bodies are transferred from the pole to the equator, their weight changes, since due to the daily rotation of the Earth, the scales with the body have a centripetal acceleration at the equator.
According to Newton's second law, for a body located at the equator, we have
where N is the ground reaction force equal to the body weight.
At the pole, the weight of the body is equal to the force of gravity. Obviously, at the pole the body weight is greater than at the equator.
Let's focus on a simpler case.
Let the body be on a spring scale in an elevator moving with acceleration .
According to Newton's second law
Let us direct the coordinate axis OY of the reference system associated with the Earth vertically downwards.
Let us write the equation of motion of the body in projection onto this axis:
ma y = F y + N y.
If the acceleration is directed downward, then, expressing the projections of vectors in terms of their modules, we obtain ma = F - N. Since N = F 1, then ma = F - F 1.
From here it is clear that only at a = 0 the weight is equal to the force with which the body is attracted to the Earth (F 1 = F). If a ≠ 0, then F 1 = F - ma = m(g - a).
The weight of the body depends on the acceleration with which the support moves, and the appearance of this acceleration is equivalent to a change in the acceleration of gravity.
If, for example, the elevator is forced to fall freely, i.e. a = g, then F 1 = m(g - g) = 0, the body is in a state of weightlessness.
The onset of a state of weightlessness for bodies means that the bodies do not press on the support and, therefore, are not affected by the reaction force of the support; they move only under the influence of the force of gravity towards the Earth.
Is the nature of weightlessness the same for bodies in an elevator and for bodies in a satellite?
The mechanical essence of weightlessness is that in a reference frame moving relative to the Earth with the acceleration of free fall, all phenomena that are caused by gravity on Earth disappear.
Experiments were carried out many times in which a state of weightlessness was created. For example, the plane accelerates and, starting from a certain moment, moves strictly along a parabola, the one that would be in the absence of air.
At the same time, unusual phenomena are observed in the cabin: the pendulum freezes in a deflected position, water splashed out of a glass hangs in the air as a large spherical drop, and next to it all other objects, regardless of their mass and shape, freeze, as if suspended on invisible threads.
The same thing happens in the cabin of a spacecraft as it moves in orbit.
At high altitudes above the Earth there is almost no air, so there is no need to compensate for its resistance by operating engines.
And the flight lasts not a minute, but many days.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF THE RF
MUNICIPAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION SECONDARY SCHOOL No. 4 named after I.S. Black ABSTRACT ON PHYSICS ON THE TOPIC: WEIGHTLESSNESSWork completed:
Secondary school student No. 4
10 "B" class Khlusova Anastasia
Supervisor:
Lebedeva Natalya Yurievna
Physics teacher
| Introduction | |
| Chapter 1. Body weight and weightlessness | |
| 1.1. Body weight | |
| 1.2. Weight of a body moving with acceleration | |
| 1.3. Weightlessness | |
| 1.4. This is interesting | |
| 1.4.1. Flame in zero gravity | |
| Chapter 2. Man and weightlessness | |
| 2.2. Operation in zero gravity | |
| 2.3. Application of space developments on Earth | |
| Conclusion | |
| Literature | |
| Application |
Introduction
The phenomenon of weightlessness has always aroused my interest. Of course, every person wants to fly, and weightlessness is something close to the state of flight. Before starting the research, I only knew that weightlessness is a condition that is observed in space, on a spaceship, in which all objects fly, and astronauts cannot stand on their feet, as on Earth. Weightlessness is more of a problem for astronautics than an unusual phenomenon. During a flight in a spacecraft, health problems may arise, and after landing, astronauts must be taught to walk and stand again. Thus, it is very important to know what weightlessness is and how it affects the well-being of people traveling in outer space. As a result, it is necessary to solve this problem by creating programs to reduce the risk of the adverse effects of weightlessness on the body. The purpose of my work is to give the concept of weightlessness in a complex form (i.e., consider it from different sides), to note the relevance of this concept not only within the framework of the study of outer space, the negative impact on humans, but also within the framework of the possibility of using technology invented on Earth to reduce this impact; carrying out some technological processes that are difficult or impossible to implement in terrestrial conditions. Objectives of this essay:
- Understand the mechanism of occurrence of this phenomenon; Describe this mechanism mathematically and physically; Tell interesting facts about weightlessness; Understand how the state of weightlessness affects the health of people in a spaceship, at a station, etc., that is, look at weightlessness from a biological and medical point of view; Process the material, arrange it according to generally accepted rules;
Chapter 1. Body weight and weightlessness
1.1. Body weight
The concept of body weight is widely used in technology and everyday life. Body weight is the total elastic force acting in the presence of gravity on all supports and suspensions. The weight of the body P, that is, the force with which the body acts on the support, and the elastic force F Y with which the support acts on the body (Fig. 1), in accordance with Newton’s third law, are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction: P = - F y If the body is at rest on a horizontal surface or moves uniformly and is acted upon only by the force of gravity F T and the elastic force F Y from the side of the support, then from the equality of the vector sum of these forces to zero the equality follows: F T = - F Y. Comparing expressions P = -F y and F T = - F Y, we obtain P = F T, that is, the weight P of a body on a fixed horizontal support is equal to the force of gravity F T, but these forces are applied to different bodies. With accelerated motion of the body and support, the weight P will differ from the force of gravity F T. According to Newton’s second law, when a body of mass m moves under the influence of gravity F T and the elastic force F y with acceleration a, the equality F T + F Y = ma is satisfied. From the equations P = -F у and F Т + F У = ma we obtain: P = F Т – ma = mg – ma, or P = m(g – a). Let us consider the case of elevator motion when the acceleration a is directed vertically downward. If the coordinate axis OY (Fig. 2) is directed vertically downwards, then the vectors P, g and a turn out to be parallel to the OY axis, and their projections are positive; then the equation P = m(g – a) will take the form: P y = m(g У – a У). Since the projections are positive and parallel to the coordinate axis, they can be replaced by vector modules: P = m(g – a). The weight of a body whose direction of free acceleration and fall and acceleration coincide is less than the weight of a body at rest.
1.2. Weight of a body moving with acceleration
Speaking about the weight of a body in an accelerated elevator, three cases are considered (except for the case of rest or uniform motion): These three cases do not qualitatively exhaust all situations. It makes sense to consider the 4th case so that the analysis is complete. (Indeed, in the second case it is implied that a< g. Третий случай есть частный для второго при a = g. Случай a >g remained unexamined.) To do this, you can ask students a question that initially surprises them : “How should the elevator move so that a person can walk on the ceiling?” Students quickly “guess” that the elevator must move down with acceleration big g. Indeed: with increasing acceleration of the elevator moving down, in accordance with the formula P=mg-ma, the weight of the body will decrease. When the acceleration a becomes equal to g, the weight becomes zero. If we continue to increase the acceleration, we can assume that the body weight will change direction.
After this, you can depict the body weight vector in the figure: 
This problem can also be solved in the reverse formulation: “What will be the weight of a body in an elevator moving downward with acceleration a > g?” This task is a little more difficult because... students need to overcome the inertia of thinking and swap “up” and “down”. There may be an objection that the 4th case is not discussed in textbooks because it does not occur in practice. But the fall of the elevator also occurs only in problems, but, nevertheless, it is considered, because it's convenient and useful. Movement with acceleration directed downwards or upwards is observed not only in an elevator or rocket, but also when moving an airplane performing aerobatics, as well as when moving a body along a convex or concave bridge. The considered 4th case corresponds to movement along a “dead loop”. At its upper point, the acceleration (centripetal) is directed downward, the support reaction force is directed downward, and the body weight is directed upward. Let's imagine a situation: an astronaut left the ship into space and, with the help of an individual rocket engine, takes a walk around the surrounding area. Returning, he left the engine on a little too long, approached the ship with excess speed and hit his knee on it. Will it hurt him? “It won’t: after all, in zero gravity, an astronaut is lighter than a feather,” is the answer you might hear. The answer is incorrect. When you fell from a fence on Earth, you were also in a state of weightlessness. Because when you hit the earth’s surface, you felt a noticeable overload, the greater the harder the place on which you fell, and the greater your speed at the moment of contact with the ground. Weightlessness and weight have nothing to do with the impact. What matters here is mass and speed, not weight. And yet, when an astronaut hits a ship, it won’t hurt as much as it does when you hit the ground (other things being equal: equal masses, relative speeds, and equal hardness of obstacles). The mass of the ship is much less than the mass of the Earth. Therefore, when hitting the ship, a noticeable part of the astronaut’s kinetic energy will be converted into the kinetic energy of the ship, and less deformation will remain. The ship will gain additional speed, and the astronaut’s pain will not be as strong.
1.3. Weightlessness
If a body together with a support falls freely, then a = g, then from the formula P = m(g – a) it follows that P = 0. The disappearance of weight when the support moves with the acceleration of free fall only under the influence of gravity is called weightlessness . There are two types of weightlessness. Weight loss that occurs at great distances from celestial bodies due to weakening gravity is called static weightlessness. And the state in which a person is during an orbital flight is dynamic weightlessness. They appear exactly the same. The person's feelings are the same. But the reasons are different. During flights, astronauts deal only with dynamic weightlessness. The expression "dynamic weightlessness" means: "weightlessness that occurs during movement." We feel the pull of the Earth only when we resist it. Only when we “refuse” to fall. And as soon as we “agreed” to fall, the feeling of heaviness instantly disappears. Imagine - you are walking with a dog, holding it on a strap. The dog rushed somewhere and pulled the strap. You feel the tension of the strap—the “pull” of the dog—only as long as you resist. And if you run after the dog, the strap will sag and the feeling of attraction will disappear. The same thing happens with the gravity of the Earth. The plane is flying. In the cockpit, two paratroopers prepared to jump. The earth pulls them down. And they are still resisting. We rested our feet on the floor of the plane. They feel the gravity of the Earth - the soles of their feet are pressed forcefully to the floor. They feel their weight. “The strap is tight.” But they agreed to follow where the Earth pulled them. We stood on the edge of the hatch and jumped down. “The strap is sagging.” The feeling of the Earth's gravity immediately disappeared. They became weightless. One can imagine a continuation of this story. At the same time as the paratroopers, a large empty box was dropped from the plane. And now two people, who had not opened their parachutes, and an empty box are flying side by side, at the same speed, tumbling in the air. One man reached out, grabbed a box flying nearby, opened its door and pulled himself inside. Now out of two people, one flies outside the box and the other flies inside the box. They will have completely different sensations. The one flying outside sees and feels that he is rapidly flying down. The wind whistles in his ears. The approaching Earth is visible in the distance. And the one flying inside the box closed the door and began, pushing off the walls, to “swim” around the box. It seems to him that the box stands calmly on the Earth, and he, having lost weight, floats through the air, like a fish in an aquarium. Strictly speaking, there is no difference between both parachutists. Both fly towards the Earth at the same speed like a stone. But one would say: “I am flying,” and the other: “I am floating in place.” The thing is that one is guided by the Earth, and the other by the box in which it flies. This is exactly how a state of dynamic weightlessness arises in the cabin of a spacecraft. At first, this may seem incomprehensible. It would seem that the spaceship is flying parallel to the Earth, like an airplane. But in a horizontally flying plane there is no weightlessness. But we know that the satellite spacecraft is falling continuously. It looks much more like a box dropped from an airplane than an airplane. Dynamic weightlessness sometimes occurs on Earth. For example, swimmers and divers flying into the water from a tower are weightless. Skiers are weightless for a few seconds during a ski jump. Skydivers falling like stones are weightless until they open their parachutes. To train astronauts, they create weightlessness in the plane for thirty to forty seconds. To do this, the pilot makes a “slide”. He accelerates the plane, soars steeply upward and turns off the engine. The plane begins to fly by inertia, like a stone thrown by a hand. First it rises a little, then describes an arc, turning down. Dives towards the Earth. All this time the plane is in a state of free fall. And all this time, real weightlessness reigns in his cabin. Then the pilot turns on the engine again and carefully brings the plane out of the dive into normal horizontal flight. When you turn on the engine, weightlessness immediately disappears. In a state of weightlessness, gravity acts on all particles of a body in a state of weightlessness, but there are no external forces applied to the surface of the body (for example, support reactions) that could cause mutual pressure of particles on each other. A similar phenomenon is observed for bodies located in an artificial Earth satellite (or in a spacecraft); these bodies and all their particles, having received the corresponding initial speed together with the satellite, move under the influence of gravitational forces along their orbits with equal accelerations, as if free, without exerting mutual pressure on each other, that is, they are in a state of weightlessness. Like a body in an elevator, they are affected by the force of gravity, but there are no external forces applied to the surfaces of the bodies that could cause mutual pressure of the bodies or their particles on each other. In general, a body under the influence of external forces will be in a state of weightlessness if: a) the acting external forces are only mass (gravitational forces); b) the field of these mass forces is locally homogeneous, that is, the field forces impart acceleration to all particles of the body in each position that are identical in magnitude and direction; c) the initial velocities of all particles of the body are identical in magnitude and direction (the body moves translationally). Thus, any body whose dimensions are small compared to the Earth’s radius, performing free translational motion in the Earth’s gravitational field, will, in the absence of other external forces, be in a state of weightlessness. The result will be similar for the movement in the gravitational field of any other celestial bodies. Due to the significant difference between the conditions of weightlessness and the terrestrial conditions in which instruments and assemblies of artificial Earth satellites, spacecraft and their launch vehicles are created and debugged, the problem of weightlessness occupies an important place among other problems of astronautics. This is most significant for systems that have containers partially filled with liquid. These include propulsion systems with liquid-propellant rocket engines (liquid-jet engines), designed for repeated activation during space flight conditions. Under conditions of weightlessness, the liquid can occupy an arbitrary position in the container, thereby disrupting the normal functioning of the system (for example, the supply of components from fuel tanks). Therefore, to ensure the launch of liquid propulsion systems in zero gravity conditions, the following are used: separation of liquid and gaseous phases in fuel tanks using elastic separators; fixing part of the liquid at the intake device of the grid systems (Agena rocket stage); creating short-term overloads (artificial “gravity”) before turning on the main propulsion system with the help of auxiliary rocket engines, etc. The use of special techniques is also necessary for separating the liquid and gaseous phases under weightless conditions in a number of units of the life support system, in fuel cells of the power supply system (for example, collection of condensate by a system of porous wicks, separation of the liquid phase using a centrifuge). The mechanisms of spacecraft (for opening solar panels, antennas, for docking, etc.) are designed to operate in zero gravity conditions. Weightlessness can be used to carry out certain technological processes that are difficult or impossible to implement under terrestrial conditions (for example, obtaining composite materials with a uniform structure throughout the entire volume, obtaining bodies of precise spherical shape from molten material due to surface tension forces, etc.). For the first time, an experiment on welding various materials under vacuum weightlessness conditions was carried out during the flight of the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz-6 (1969). A number of technological experiments (on welding, studying the flow and crystallization of molten materials, etc. ) was carried out at the American orbital station Skylab (1973). Scientists conduct various experiments in space, conduct experiments, but they have little idea of the final result of these actions. But if any experiment gives a certain result, then it has to be checked for a long time in order to ultimately explain and apply the acquired knowledge in practice. Below are descriptions of some experiments and interesting news about weightlessness that are still being worked on.
1.4. This is interesting
1.4.1. Flame in zero gravity On Earth, due to gravity, convection currents arise, which determine the shape of the flame. They raise hot soot particles, which emit visible light. Thanks to this we see the flame. In zero gravity, there are no convection currents, soot particles do not rise, and the candle flame takes on a spherical shape. Since the candle material is a mixture of saturated hydrocarbons, when burned they release hydrogen, which burns with a blue flame. Scientists are trying to understand how and why fire spreads in zero gravity. Studying flames in zero gravity conditions is necessary to assess the fire resistance of a spacecraft and when developing special fire extinguishing means. This way you can ensure the safety of astronauts and vehicles.
Boiling of water on Earth and in conditions of weightlessness (image from nasa.gov) So, having understood the causes of weightlessness and the features of this phenomenon, we can move on to the question of its effect on the human body.
Chapter 2. Man and weightlessness
We are accustomed to our own gravity. We are accustomed to the fact that all objects around us have weight. We can’t imagine anything else. Not only our lives have passed in conditions of weight. The entire history of life on Earth took place under these same conditions. Earth's gravity has never disappeared for millions of years. Therefore, all organisms living on our planet have long adapted to supporting their own weight. Already in ancient times, bones formed in the bodies of animals, which became supports for their bodies. Without bones, animals under the influence of gravity would “spread” along the ground, like a soft jellyfish taken out of the water onto the shore. All our muscles have adapted over millions of years to move our body, overcoming the gravity of the Earth. And everything inside our body is adapted to the conditions of weight. The heart has powerful muscles designed to continuously pump several kilograms of blood. And if it still flows downwards, into the legs, easily, then upwards, into the head, it must be applied with force. All our internal organs are suspended by strong ligaments. If they weren’t there, the insides would “roll down” and clump together in a heap. Due to constant weight, we have developed a special organ, the vestibular apparatus, located deep in the head, behind the ear. It allows us to feel which side of us the Earth is, where “up” is and where “down” is. The vestibular apparatus is a small cavity filled with fluid. They contain tiny pebbles. When a person stands upright, the pebbles lie at the bottom of the cavity. If a person lies down, the pebbles will roll and land on the side wall. The human brain will feel it. And a person, even with his eyes closed, will immediately tell where the bottom is. So, everything in a person is adapted to the conditions in which he lives on the surface of planet Earth. What are the living conditions for a person in such a peculiar state as weightlessness? It is especially important to take into account the uniqueness of weightlessness during the flight of manned spacecraft: the living conditions of a person in a state of weightlessness differ sharply from the usual ones on earth, which causes a change in a number of his vital functions. Thus, weightlessness puts the central nervous system and the receptors of many analyzer systems (vestibular apparatus, muscular-articular apparatus, blood vessels) in unusual operating conditions. Therefore, weightlessness is considered as a specific integral stimulus that affects the human and animal body throughout the entire orbital flight. The response to this stimulus is adaptive processes in physiological systems; the degree of their manifestation depends on the duration of weightlessness and, to a much lesser extent, on the individual characteristics of the organism. The adverse effects of weightlessness on the human body during flight can be prevented or limited using various means and methods (muscle training, electrical muscle stimulation, negative pressure applied to the lower half of the body, pharmacological and other means). In a flight lasting about 2 months (the second crew on the American Skylab station, 1973), a high preventive effect was achieved mainly due to the physical training of the astronauts. High-intensity work, which caused an increase in heart rate to 150–170 beats per minute, was performed on a bicycle ergometer for 1 hour a day. Restoration of circulatory and respiratory function occurred 5 days after landing. Changes in metabolism, stato-kinetic and vestibular disorders were mild. An effective means is likely to be the creation of artificial “heaviness” on board the spacecraft, which can be obtained, for example, by constructing the station in the form of a large rotating (that is, non-translationally moving) wheel and placing work areas on its “rim.” Due to the rotation of the “rim”, the bodies in it will be pressed against its surface, which will play the role of a “floor”, and the reaction of the “floor” applied to the surfaces of the bodies will create artificial “gravity”. The creation of artificial “gravity” on spaceships can prevent the adverse effects of weightlessness on the body of animals and humans. To solve a number of theoretical and practical problems in space medicine, laboratory methods for simulating weightlessness are widely used, including limiting muscle activity, depriving a person of the usual support along the vertical axis of the body, reducing hydrostatic blood pressure, which is achieved by keeping a person in a horizontal position or at an angle (head lower). legs), long-term continuous bed rest or immersion of a person for several hours or days in a liquid (so-called immersion) environment. Zero-gravity conditions disrupt the ability to correctly estimate the size of objects and the distance to them, which prevents astronauts from orienting themselves in the surrounding space and can lead to accidents during space flights, according to an article by French scientists published in the journal Acta Astronautica. To date, a lot of evidence has accumulated that astronauts’ mistakes when determining distances do not occur by chance. Often distant objects seem closer to them than they actually are. Scientists from the French National Center for Scientific Research conducted an experimental test of the ability to estimate distances in conditions of artificially created weightlessness when an aircraft flies in a parabola. In this case, weightlessness lasts a very short period - about 20 seconds. Using special glasses, volunteers were shown an unfinished image of a cube and asked to complete the drawing of the correct geometric figure. Under conditions of normal gravity, the subjects drew all sides as equal, but during weightlessness they were unable to complete the test correctly. According to scientists, this experiment shows that it is weightlessness, and not long-term adaptation to it, that should be considered as an important factor distorting perception. 2.1. Study of life problems in space The book “Skylab Orbital Station,” written back in 1977 by leading American space experts Professor E. Stuhlinger and Dr. L. Belew, scientific directors of the Skylab program implemented by NASA, talks about research carried out at the orbital station on the influence of the surrounding space space, on the capabilities of the crew members. The biomedical research program covered the following four areas: medical experiments involved in-depth studies of those physiological effects and the period of their action that were observed during previous flights. Biological experiments involved the study of fundamental biological processes that can be affected by conditions of weightlessness. Biotechnical experiments were aimed at developing the efficiency of man-machine systems when working in space and improving the technology for using bioequipment. Here are some research topics:
- salt balance study; biological studies of body fluids; study of changes in bone tissue; creating negative pressure on the lower body in flight; obtaining vector cardiograms; cytogenetic blood tests; immunity studies; studies of changes in blood volume and red blood cell lifespan; red blood cell metabolism studies; study of special hematological effects; study of the sleep-wake cycle in space flight conditions; filming of astronauts during certain work operations; metabolic rate measurements; measuring the body weight of an astronaut during space flight; research into the effect of weightlessness on living human cells and tissues. (Annex 1)
- Weightlessness occurs when a body falls freely along with a support, i.e. the acceleration of the body and support is equal to the acceleration of gravity;
Literature
- Great Soviet Encyclopedia (in 30 volumes). Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov. Edition 3. M., “Soviet Encyclopedia”, 1974. Kabardin O.F. Physics: Reference materials: Textbook for students. - 3rd ed. - M.: Education, 1991. - 367 p. Kolesnikov Yu.V., Glazkov Yu.N. There is a spaceship in orbit. - M.: Pedagogy, 1980 Makovetsky P.V. Look at the root! A collection of interesting problems and questions. – M.: Nauka, 1979 Chandaeva S.A. Physics and man. –M.: JSC “Aspect Press”, 1994 Belyu L., Stulinger E. Skylab orbital station. USA, 1973. (Abbr. translated from English). Ed. Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Sciences G. L. Grodzovsky. M., “Mechanical Engineering”, 1977 - Access mode: /bibl/skylab/obl.html Dyubankova O. Space medicine does not reach the Earth Website of the publishing house "Arguments and Facts" - Access mode: /online/health/511/03_01 Ivanov I. Vibration of a liquid accelerates its boiling in zero gravity. Website: Elements. Science news. Access mode - http://
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page Klushantsev P. House in orbit: Stories about orbital stations. - L.: Det. lit., 1975. - P.25-28. Per. in email view. Yu. Zubakin, 2007- Access mode: ( http://
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People can be operated on in space. French doctors performed the first surgical operation in zero gravity. Russian newspaper website. RIA News. - Access mode: http://
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APPLICATION
Annex 1
Rice. 1. Experiments to monitor changes in the mass of astronauts:
a - measurement of the mass of waste products; b - measurement of body weight of astronauts; c - measurement of food consumption
Rice. 2. Device for determining the mass of samples under zero gravity conditions:
1 - elastic coating
Rice. 3. Ground training in a device to create negative pressure on the lower part of the astronauts’ body:
1 - apparatus for creating negative pressure on the lower part of the astronauts’ body; 2 - device for determining blood pressure; 3 - device for obtaining vector cardiograms
Rice. 4. Working with the LBNP device on board the Skylab station (picture)
Rice. 5. Study of the functioning of the vestibular apparatus on a rotating chair
Rice. 6. Body weight measurement
Rice. 7. Study of the effect of weightlessness on living human cells and tissues
Rice. 8. Study of sleep and reactions during sleep of astronauts
Rice. 9. Study of the metabolic characteristics of an astronaut during experiments on a bicycle ergometer:
1 - bicycle ergometer; 2 - metabolic analyzer: 3 - mouthpiece; 4 - hose; 5 - probe for measuring temperature; 6 – electrodes
Mechanisms of regulation of oxygen status in humans under conditions of simulating the effects of weightlessness and when using intensive care methods 14.00. 32 Aviation, space and marine medicine 14.00. 37 Anesthesiology and resuscitation
Abstract of the dissertationThe work was carried out at the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation - Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SSC RF - IMBP RAS)
Conditions for creating simulated weightlessness and studying the spatial orientation, growth and development of wheat during ground testing of a prototype space greenhouse with a convex landing surface
StudyCONDITIONS FOR CREATION OF SIMULATED WEIGHTLESSITY AND STUDY OF SPATIAL ORIENTATION, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF WHEAT DURING GROUND TESTS OF A PROTOTYPE OF A SPACE GREENHOUSE WITH A CONVEX LANDING SURFACE
Physics lesson summary: "Body weight. Weightlessness. Overloads"
AbstractLesson objectives: to repeat the concept of body weight, to establish how the weight of a body changes when it moves with acceleration, to consider what is the cause of weightlessness and overloads.
Topic of the training session: “Gravity and body weight. Weightlessness"
SolutionGoals and objectives of the training session: improve knowledge about gravitational interaction, introduce the physical quantities “gravity”, “body weight”, form ideas about the phenomenon of weightlessness, develop the ability to isolate action
Nikolay Nosov. Dunno on the Moon
DocumentAccording to the design of the architect Vertibutylkin, even two revolving buildings were built on Kolokolchikov Street.
We are accustomed to the fact that all objects around us have weight. This happens because the force of gravity attracts them to the Earth. Even if we fly on an airplane or jump with a parachute, the weight does not disappear from us. But what happens if the weight does disappear, when does this happen, and what interesting phenomena are observed under conditions of weightlessness? About all this - in this post.
The law of universal gravitation, discovered by Newton, states that all bodies with mass are attracted to each other. For bodies with a small mass, such attraction is practically not noticeable, but if a body has a large mass, such as our planet Earth (and its mass in kilograms is expressed in a 25-digit number), then the attraction becomes noticeable. Therefore, all objects are attracted to the Earth - if you lift them, they fall down, and when they fall, gravity presses them to the surface. This leads to the fact that everything on Earth has weight, even air is pressed against the Earth by the force of gravity and with its weight presses on everything that is on its surface.
When can the weight disappear? Either when the force of gravity does not act on the body at all, or when it acts, but nothing prevents the body from falling freely. Although the force of gravity decreases with distance from the Earth, even at an altitude of hundreds and thousands of kilometers it remains strong, so getting rid of the force of gravity is not easy. But it is quite possible to find yourself in a state of free fall.
For example, you can find yourself in a state of weightlessness if you find yourself in an airplane moving along a special trajectory - just like a body that would not be hampered by air resistance.
It all looks like this:
Of course, the plane cannot move along such a trajectory for a long time, because it will crash into the ground. Therefore, only astronauts living on an orbital station are faced with long-term stays in conditions of weightlessness. And they have to get used to the fact that many phenomena that are familiar to us in conditions of weightlessness occur completely differently than on Earth.
1) In zero gravity, you can easily move heavy objects and move yourself with only a little effort. True, for the same reason, any objects must be specially secured so that they do not fly around the orbital station, and while sleeping, the astronauts climb into special bags attached to the wall.
Learning to move in zero gravity takes time, and beginners do not succeed right away. “They push with all their might and hit their heads, get tangled in wires and so on, so it’s a source of endless fun,” one of the American astronauts said on this topic.
2) Liquids in weightlessness take on a spherical shape. It will not be possible to store water, as we are used to on Earth, in an open container, pour it out of a kettle and pour it into a cup, and even wash our hands in the usual way.
3) The flame in zero gravity conditions is very weak and fades over time. If you light a candle under normal conditions, it will burn brightly until it burns out. But this happens because the heated air becomes lighter and rises, making room for fresh air saturated with oxygen. In zero gravity, air convection is not observed and over time, the oxygen around the flame burns out and combustion stops.
Burning a candle under normal conditions and in zero gravity (right)
But a constant flow of oxygen is needed not only for combustion, but also for breathing. Therefore, if the astronaut is motionless (for example, sleeping), then a fan must be running in the compartment to mix the air.
4) In zero gravity, it is possible to obtain unique materials that are difficult or even impossible to obtain under terrestrial conditions. For example, ultrapure substances, new composite materials, large regular crystals and even medicines. If it were possible to reduce the cost of delivering cargo to orbit and back, this would solve many technological problems.
5) In zero gravity on board the orbital station, some previously unknown effects were discovered for the first time. For example, the formation of structures resembling crystalline ones in plasma, or the “Dzhanibekov effect” - when a rotating object suddenly changes its axis of rotation by 180 degrees at certain intervals.
Dzhanibekov effect:
6) Weightlessness has a significant impact on humans and living organisms. Although it is possible to adapt to life in zero gravity, it is not so easy. Finding yourself in a state of weightlessness for the first time, a person loses orientation in space, dizziness occurs, because the vestibular apparatus stops working normally. Other changes in the body include a redistribution of fluid in the body, which causes the face to swell and the nose to become stuffy, height increases due to the loss of load on the spine, and with prolonged exposure to weightlessness, muscles atrophy and bones lose strength. To reduce negative changes, astronauts have to regularly perform special exercises.
After returning to Earth, astronauts have to re-adapt to the previous conditions, not only physically, but also psychologically. They may, for example, out of habit leave a glass in the air, forgetting that it will fall.
"Physics of Weightlessness". Astronauts on the ISS tell us how the laws of physics work in conditions of weightlessness: