space medicine: Inertial Forces
Inertial Forces
Inertial forces due to acceleration are experienced only during liftoff and reentry, but the consequences can be traumatic. The circulatory system is most strongly affected; deprivation of blood to the brain causes dimming of vision and sometimes loss of consciousness. However, lying on a body-contoured couch, astronauts have survived inertial forces eight times stronger than normal gravity.
Sections in this article:
- Introduction
- A Closed Environment
- Absence of Day and Night
- Ionizing Radiation
- Inertial Forces
- Weightlessness
- Bibliography
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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