3111: Artificial Gravity

Artificial Gravity

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Title text: Low gravity can cause bone loss, so we're pleased to report that, since we initiated capsule motion, the number of bones in each crew member has been steadily increasing.

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Explanation

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Transcript

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[Cueball and Ponytail are standing near a blueprint of a spacecraft, with Cueball pointing at the blueprint.]

Cueball: To produce artificial gravity during the voyage, the crew capsule is kept in constant motion.

Ponytail: Wouldn't it make more sense to spin it instead of shaking it, so the acceleration is steadier?

Cueball: Listen. You, I, and the crew all wish we'd thought of that before launch.

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Discussion

Note the motion lines around the main body of the spacecraft, showing that it is also shaking to a much lesser extent. 181.214.218.76 15:26, 4 July 2025 (UTC)

That is just Newton's Third Law, which is very often taken into account in space obviously. Thehydraclone (talk) 16:04, 4 July 2025 (UTC)

I prefer to think it's using thrusters either side of the main body to slightly oscillate that back and forth, which then translates into the larger movement of the capsule through the joint. 82.13.184.33 08:17, 7 July 2025 (UTC)

Report: Total crew bone mass remains constant. 2804:7f0:bf02:c680:390e:8bb5:b4a9:db40 (talk) 16:05, 4 July 2025 (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Now you made it sound like some bones have changed owner. Whether intentional or not, very xkcd. --Coconut Galaxy (talk) 13:28, 5 July 2025 (UTC)

"We may have made the change of direction a little too abrupt..." 82.13.184.33 15:58, 7 July 2025 (UTC)

The spinning idea reminds me of the spin drive from Andy Weir's "Project Hail Mary."136.47.216.1 17:34, 4 July 2025 (UTC)

Wait, nothing about the 4th of July today? That's odd. 2601:647:8500:1E09:55BB:EEBB:23EA:178A 23:04, 4 July 2025 (UTC)

this rocket was clearly sent up mistaken for a firework 2600:4040:52f1:300:8c1d:959a:d4c2:80be (talk) 14:07, 5 July 2025 (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Not at all surprising - clicking through Category:Comics from July to find the relevant week each year, the only one I can see in twenty years directly referencing it is 1858: 4th of July; at a stretch, you could suggest that 285: Wikipedian Protester was also specifically timed. More notably, it's the 19th anniversary of 123: Centrifugal Force, which feels relevant. - IMSoP (talk) 10:00, 7 July 2025 (UTC)

aw, great, "steadily"--me, hi (talk) 03:37, 7 July 2025 (UTC)

This rocket design and the intent to provide artificial gravity to the crew module is similar (but not identical) to the design of the ship in Andy Weir's novel Project Hail Mary, for which the film adaptation's trailer was released on June 30. 24.85.198.95 16:36, 9 July 2025 (UTC)

Could this possibly be a reference to james bond preferring his drinks "shaken not stirred?" Especially given how the engineers never even considered spinning the capsule, despite the obvious impracticality of having it "shaken not spun," like they had some kind of personal preference. Ip36 (talk) 00:02, 10 July 2025 (UTC)

No obvious Bondian reference (saving for prior centrifugal/centripetal death-traps). And incidentally also interesting to note that stirring is also the prefered method of mixing, by anyone not solely influenced by Fleming's œuvre. 82.132.236.42 12:33, 10 July 2025 (UTC)
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