gravity and rollercoasters...

What happens to a rollercoaster when there is no gravity and they are able to stay up (in real life, i dont think they could w/o gravity). would it have to be mechanically driven?

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"Poison Ivy looks to intense for me!" "I want to go on somethin more thrilling than Superman:Ride of Steel"
www.geocities.com/yankeesfan1127/EastCoasterDatabase.html

Huh? Are they building one on the moon now? Anyway, we have built stuff in space w/out gravity. You probably couldn't take an existing rollercoaster up there, but if you built one with extra support it might stand. Getting it to function would be a challenge though. What a way to get airtime.

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Off with the trims!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
Woodencoaster.com

in the 4 dimensions that humans easily percieve, there is no such thing as "no" gravity. just to get picky. :)

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If the shoe fits, find another one.

Knowing people there will probably be a coaster in space someday. They could probably would have to have something to move it. Or if there is some sort of technology that could create a gravitational field.

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Millennium Force......It has its ups and downs.

www.helpmeineedtorideacoastercauseithasbeentoolongsinceihaveriddenoneandiam goingtogocrazyoneverybodyreadingmysignaturerightnow.com
I have 32 coasters in my track record.....I'm so proud of myself.

To tell u the truth i think that is the stupidest question i ever heard.

That would be an interesting vacation. CoasterCon MM on the moon.

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I can't think of a good signature.

phantoms_revenge_rules said:
"To tell u the truth i think that is the stupidest question i ever heard."

How profound...and worded like a true scholar! [end sarcasm]

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IU shocks the world!

(and screws up 99% of people's brackets. :))

The concept of an orbiting roller coaster is feasible. A launch coaster would work perfectly well in space. Instead of designing for +1G while at rest, the engineers would design for 0G at rest. This would obviously change some aspects of all the elements, most notably the zero G roll. Remember, change in direction creates the G force that we know as "laterals" and "negative G's" and in space that fact won't change. While the expereience will most likely be completely different, it can work. Consider, though, being a launch coaster, momentum will be transferred. This means the whole coaster structure will move upon each launch, changing it's orbital path. Some system of rocket boosters will need to be included to maintain a stable orbit. Heck, maybe the launch is rocket powered...the trains have rockets on the back, wouldn't that be cool?

-seth

CPgenius, LOL. Like my brackets weren't destroyed even before IU upset the Dookies...I was pulling for the upset since I think it's important to reward IU for getting rid of The General. (preparing for incoming volleys...)

Assuming we built a coaster in space (where there still is SOME gravitational pull) the "propulsion" would be very tricky indeed since there really is very little to push against. I think the structure would "recoil" against the train and serve to slow the ride down quite a bit....(but it's been a LOOONG time since I took any fizzix)...

That's good thinking, rollergator, but you have to consider comparitive weights. A train, at most, weighs 20-30 tons. A complete coaster track and supports weigh many thousand tons...lets say 20,000 to 30,0000 tons ( I may be way off, but bear with me) Now lets say this coaster launches the train at 100mph. You have 20,000 tons pushing against 20 tons. From a still position, the train would launch at 99.9mph and the entire structure would move backwards at .1mph. Relative to the train and structure, the launch is still 100mph, since 99.9 + .1 = 100 Also, if the coaster is in orbit, there is no gravitational pull....(technically equal from all directions) So the structure increaces in speed by .1mph at every launch so maybe at closing time, they fire up the boosters to reclaim that speed.

-seth

...so what you're saying is that it would be the first coaster ever to perform at "max thrill" on the FIRST ride of the day? That certainly would make enthusiast events after park closing considerably less exciting...

If a coaster were to orbit where the space shuttle orbits, gravitational pull would still be about 99% of at the Earth's surface. It still constantly accelerates downward to Earth's surface. Only the horizontal velocity of the coaster is so great (about 5 miles per second) that it "falls" with the curvature of Earth's surface, hence staying in orbit.

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"Hello to Yogi, Hello to Booboo, Hello to Scooby Doo. Barney and Fred say hi..." --King's Dominion's Singing Mushrooms

OMG What has the world came too, we are debating the feasibility of a roller coaster in space. We now can truly say we have no lives.;)

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Does CCI know how to make a bad coaster?

Hey Jeff, you closed a topic about a standup woodie because it is unrealistic, but yet a coaster on the moon is realistic? I personally think a standup woodie is more realistic.

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Rob

I HATE SNOW!!! I am boycotting snow, I refuse to have fun in it.

MagnumForce said:

We now can truly say we have no lives.
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Does CCI know how to make a bad coaster?

I definitely have no life!

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Millennium Force......It has its ups and downs.

www.helpmeineedtorideacoastercauseithasbeentoolongsinceihaveriddenoneandiam goingtogocrazyoneverybodyreadingmysignaturerightnow.com
I have 32 coasters in my track record.....I'm so proud of myself.

Rollergator, now that was a cheap shot. You have to remember that the players on the team for IU were recruited by Bob Knight himself, and I bet a few of them wouldn't have gone to IU if it wasn't for him.

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IU shocks the world!

(and screws up 99% of people's brackets. :))

Alf is cool:

Jeff closed that thread because people constantly won't shut up about a standup inverted. But this one is unique and would make for an interesting discussion.

My thoughts: If it's possible, it'd be very awkward to ride it with all the space suit... but I'm all for it. ;)

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The Jet Coaster ROARS!
Will Johansson, Webmaster of Xtreme Paramount Parks
http://xpp.coasterbuzz.com/

Someone here once posted something about Arrow working with NASA to build a propulsion device for trains in space (like a service train in the space station).

Damn I have a good memory

http://club.coasterbuzz.com/forums/thread.asp?ForumID=11&TopicID=3487

or if you not in the club.

http://www.coasterbuzz.com/forums/thread.asp?ForumID=11&TopicID=3487

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Don't, Don't Don't believe, Don't believe the hype.

astrosgp said:
"If a coaster were to orbit where the space shuttle orbits, gravitational pull would still be about 99% of at the Earth's surface. It still constantly accelerates downward to Earth's surface. Only the horizontal velocity of the coaster is so great (about 5 miles per second) that it "falls" with the curvature of Earth's surface, hence staying in orbit.

And being in constant freefall is considered weighlessness, or zero G's