CIMON, please open the bay doors

[J]

I'm sorry Gerst, I'm afraid I can't do that...



I didn't know they had a blinky sphere AI on the ISS.
We are one step closer to HAL 9000 in space!

[U.P. Cinnabar]

How does it stay up?

[TimothyC]

How does it stay up?

The effective gravity* in Columbus (the ESA lab) is about two to three microgravities (or about ten to twenty milimeters per second squared), meaning that the fans used for attitude hold would be sufficient to counter any gravity-caused drift.

*Objects are only in total free fall relative to the station if they are at the station's center of mass - otherwise they are in an orbit that is ever so slightly off of that of the station, and experience an effective gravity relative to the station. The magnitude of this effective gravity is determined by how far away the object is from this center, and in what direction (a meter toward the overhead section, or toward the floor has the same effect as something like five meters forward, aft, or to either side) - and the center of the station (by mass) is IIRC, somewhere in Destiny (the US Lab), it does change slightly however as craft visit or leave the station.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Derr. Garsh, Mickey, I done had a brain fart. Too much going on. Thanks, TimothyC.