Gravity Plating
A common plot device in science fiction like Star Trek that allows crew to walk around in full gravity on spaceships is Gravity Plating . The idea is simply that the ship is plated with some magical technology that dramatically decreases the strain on the show's special effects budget :) Having just this technology would have a major effect on NASA's future long duration missions asteroids, Mars and beyond, not to mention stays on the International Space Station. Serious discussions of artificial gravity generation today are based on the concept of rotating the habitation module. Either a big torus like in 2001 A Space Odyssey, Mission To Mars, Red Planet, and Babylon 5 or, more practical, using a long tether between the habitat and a counterweight, say the expended trans-mars injection stage. Both options are incredibly difficult to do and dangerous. As such, their discussion in NASA circles has been virtually taboo for decades. Which is why recently, while thinking...
