A space habitat for a long space voyage consists of two cabins each connected by a cable to a central hub as shown in the figure below. The cabins are set spinning around the hub axis, which is connected to the rest of the spacecraft to generate artificial gravity. (a) What forces are acting on an astronaut in one of the cabins?
(b) Write Newton's second law for an astronaut lying on the "floor" of one of the habitats, relating the astronaut's mass m, his velocity v, his radial distance from the hub r, and the normal force n.
(c) What would n have to equal if the 59.6-kg astronaut is to experience half his normal Earth weight?
(d) Calculate the necessary tangential speed of the habitat from Newton's second law.
(e) Calculate the angular speed from the tangential speed.
(f) Calculate the period of rotation from the angular speed.
(g) If the astronaut stands up, will his head be moving faster, slower, or at the same speed as his feet? Why?
Calculate the tangential speed at the top of his head if he is 1.64 m tall.