3220: Rotational Gravity

Rotational Gravity

|< < Prev #3220 (March 16, 2026)

Title text: I don't get it. The peak acceleration for passengers was WAY lower than in the giant-waterslide-loop-the-loop incident the other cruise line fired me for.

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Explanation

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Low-gravity environments can cause humans and other animals to lose muscle mass, a serious problem for people staying for extended periods on the International Space Station.

Cueball at first appears to be describing his experience operating a spaceship, creating artificial gravity by rotating the ship so as to preserve the passengers' muscle mass.

However, the caption to the panel indicates that the "ship" Cueball was operating was a cruise ship, not a space ship. Since cruise ships that travel upon the seas and oceans of the Earth, experience the same gravity that they would experience at sea level on land, there is no need for "artificial gravity" aboard a cruise ship.

Furthermore, Cueball's rotation of the ship along its longitudinal axis would involve turning the ship upside down (and then right side up again). This would likely result in many people aboard drowning, as well as anything on the decks being lost that wasn't nailed down. Of course not if he did this with the angular speed required to create artificial gravity. But a cruise ship would not be build to withstand the stress imposed on it if it was rotated like this (at all, independent of the speed!)

The title text references the earlier comic 2935: Ocean Loop, where Cueball made an Action Park's Cannonball Loop for Cruise ships. Such loops can subject riders to over 10g of acceleration. Cueball complains about being fired, and says he do not understand why. Since "The peak acceleration for passengers was WAY lower than in the giant-waterslide-loop-the-loop incident the other cruise line fired me for." This is thus the second comic where Cueball has been fired by a cruise line for his hazardous actions. In the first comic he similarly complains about the decision of the cruise line in the title text.

Transcript

[Cueball stands facing Hairbun and White Hat. Hairbun has a "steaming" symbol above her head indicating anger, while White Hat is facepalming.]

Cueball: I was able to produce artificial gravity by rotating the ship along its longitudinal axis, helping passengers maintain muscle mass on the long-duration voyage!

[Caption below the panel:]

Well, the cruise line fired me.

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Discussion

Beep, Boop! nothing else here yet ;) 216.25.182.141 03:06, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

Counterpoint the the action park thing; i think its referencing 2935 TheTrainsKid (talk) 03:26, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

For sure. It is a direct reference to that comic. I wonder if they should be seen as a two comics series? I think there is a bit too little for it. If there ever comes a third comic where Cueball is fired from a cruise line I would say there should be made a category for it though. --Kynde (talk) 08:44, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

Is he saying that the ship is rolling? This would not give as much artificial G than pitch or yaw. SDSpivey (talk) 04:53, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

It all depends on the rotation speed. It is more likely the ship would survive being rotated along that axis. Of course there would then only be gravity away from the central line of the ship. And of course the ship would not survive such a rotation. --Kynde (talk) 08:44, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm sure it could survive a few rotations. More than the people could. :) SDSpivey (talk) 14:34, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

What if it's a catamaran, rotating the main body of the ship like a barbecue spit? Barmar (talk) 18:28, 17 March 2026 (UTC)
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