Generating artificial gravity onboard the Space Shuttle

One of the most significant problems associated with long duration space missions is mitigating the harmful effects of microgravity on the human body. These effects include loss of bone, muscle mass, and red blood cells; fluid shifts; cardiovascular and sensory-motor deconditioning; and changes in the immune system. If the long-duration exploration missions currently envisioned are to be successfully achieved, countermeasures to address the deleterious effects of microgravity must be developed, tested, and proven. A possible experiment to determine what level of artificial gravity is required for human perception is explored in this paper and involves creating artificial gravity onboard the Space Shuttle. Two methods are examined using Matlab®® analysis and simulation studies. The first requires putting the Shuttle into an eccentric orbit about its nominal orbit that would generate the centripetal forces necessary to simulate a gravitational environment. The other is a tumble maneuver, similar to the standard maneuver performed prior to Shuttle re-entry. Results indicate that the later maneuver is well within the capability of the Space Shuttle orbital control system, while the former is not.