Extreme Gravity Situations
Replies:
- #6867 Gas Giant gravity by Timothy Little
To: Bruce E Johnson [email removed] Hi, Rodge here: One comment about your ideas concerning gaming on the surface of a gas giant: The gravity on the surface of a gas giant would be sufficient to literal crush a human, or even a starship. They are typically MANY thousands of times greater mass than the earth. Theorhetically, you could build something that could withstand that kind of environment, but humans wouldn't be able to go, because the maximum G-level that can be nullified is 6 g's. The main problem with pulling too many G's on the human body is when the pull of gravity is greater than the heart's ability to pump the blood against it to the brain. This results in not enough blood reaching the brain, and results in the subject blacking out. In extreme gravity situations, providing oxygen would be a moot issue, because the various mechanisms of cellular metabolism would be hampered too greatly by the force of gravity to function properly. Just as you wouldn't be able to move due to your own incredible weight, neither would your mitochondria. As for the flourocarbon fluid... When cells receive either too much or too little oxygen, free radical molecular activity increases. Free radicals are atoms or molecules which have an unpaired electron in orbit, making them highly reactive and prone to pulling an electron off of an adjacent atom or molecule inorder to re-establish an even number of electrons. The molecule which just lost its paired electron has thus become a free-radical, and the cycle of electron stealing repeats itself in a harmful chain reaction. Oxidation, rancidity, and autoxidation (oxidation occuring in liquid, from the oxygen molecules contained therein). Free-radical activity can damage cells, and has been linked as a cause to cancer, heart disease, acne, dandruff, hair loss, and many other illnesses. When a person stops breathing for so long that they are in danger of sustaining permanent brain damage, the reason is because free-radical activity has increased due to the lack of oxygen (a condition known as hypoxia). The drug Hydergine, which is a powerful anti-oxidant, prevents autoxidation and thus can prolong the amount of time you can go without air before sustaining permanent brain damage to as much as 10 to 15 minutes (rather than the usual 7 minutes). It is used by paramedics in Europe to reduce the risk of complications caused by circulatory failure and trauma (insufficient blood to deliver the necessary amount of oxygen to the body). o o \___/ Roger, Over and Out Roger Sanger [email removed] [phone removed] [address removed]