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If a cylindrical rocket ship with a diameter of about 350 meters were spinning on its long axis, would more than just the interior surface of the outer hull have artificial gravity?

The ships decks are oriented from nose to engine (like in The Expanse) and each deck has multiple rooms and corridors. If the ship were abandoned and spinning, would other walls or surfaces also have some gravity, or would it only be the outermost surfaces of the ship?

If the ship instead were spinning end over end, would this provide gravity in the proper orientation? Or would it only be concentrated near the nose and engines, with weightlessness in the center?

Essentially what I need is for the abandoned ship to have some sort of artificial gravity to prevent what is found aboard from floating around everywhere. It doesn’t need to be a full G, just enough to keep objects in place. I’m open to any other way to achieve this, if possible.

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    $\begingroup$ The technical term for a spacecraft that generates spin gravity by spinning end-over-end is a "tumbling-pigeon" arrangement. Which is actually preferable to spinning the spacecraft about its long axis, as a) the tumbling-pigeon arrangement is inherently stable, and b) it allows the habitable spaces of the craft to be placed much further from its spin axis, dramatically reducing the likelihood of making the occupants throw up. $\endgroup$
    – Vikki
    Commented Dec 13, 2019 at 23:41
  • $\begingroup$ Also note that it's generally considered good etiquette here to wait at least two days after asking a question before you accept an answer. $\endgroup$
    – Vikki
    Commented Dec 13, 2019 at 23:42

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If a cylindrical rocket ship with a diameter of about 350 meters were spinning on its long axis, would more than just the interior surface of the outer hull have artificial gravity?

Yes. Any interior walls parallel to the outer hull would also have apparent gravity, proportional to their distance from the axis.

If there is any loose material inside, though, this is a very unstable arrangement. Without active stabilization, an abandoned ship that's longer than it is wide will end up spinning end-over-end.

If the ship instead were spinning end over end, would this provide gravity in the proper orientation? Or would it only be concentrated near the nose and engines, with weightlessness in the center?

Yes. You would have the highest gravity at the nose and engines, but there would be spin gravity on all interior decks as well, just at reduced levels as you get closer to the axis of rotation. It would only be zero exactly at the rotation axis.

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  • $\begingroup$ This is a scientifically correct answer, it should be selected as the official answer to the question. $\endgroup$
    – TCAT117
    Commented Dec 17, 2019 at 6:14

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