History Main / CentrifugalGravity

* ''Literature/TimeToOrbitUnknown'' has the Javelin starships generate artificial gravity this way. When the ships are speeding up or slowing down, all of the floors inside a ship are sloped relative to the effective gravity. Turning the rotation on or off without preparation can make things very messy.

* ''VideoGame/{{Startopia}}'' has you turn one of these into a profitable space station.
** Several, actually. Apparently, all known races use the same exact design for their space stations, right down to the color scheme.

* ''Videogame/ShoresOfHazeron'' has ancient ringworlds which can be colonized. The ringworlds are almost exactly like those from the ''Ringworld'' novel, with mountains flanking the inner walls, and with shadow squares creating day/night cycles on the surface.

* In the expansions of ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations 2'' the limitations of centrifugal force are discussed in the description for the "ArtificialGravity" tech. Apparently during the stargate era a Drengin troop transport once had an arm motor jam and toss thousands of troops out into space. A number of the default human ship designs have rotating sections, in particular the colony ship.
* Many Earth ships in ''VideoGame/NexusTheJupiterIncident'' have large centrifuge sections to generate gravity for the crew. This is because it frequently takes weeks, if not months to travel anywhere in the Solar System. No one else uses these, as they have ArtificialGravity, Interplanetary Drives (that can shorten the same trip to days or even hours), and [[OurWormholesAreDifferent wormholes]] for intersystem jumps.
* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', while artificial gravity is standard on most ships, the Citadel is mentioned as using centrifugal force, giving the Ward Arms a comfortable standard 1.02 G's, while the Presidium Ring is a lighter 0.3 G's. The Presidium itself also takes the form of a Stanford Torus. There are public notices telling people not to throw things [[ShownTheirWork because they will gravitate toward the windows]].
* The ''VideoGame/{{Elite}}'' series features this in its {{Space Station}}s, as artificial gravity is nonexistent. Their spin makes docking difficult, as pilots must match the spin or risk crashing into the (wide, but relatively narrow) airlock "slot". In ''Dangerous'', you still need to match rotation until you pass through the airlock, at which point your ship's computers will automatically manage rotation and fire the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_control_system RCS]] as-necessary to adjust for this rotation for you... though if you're feeling adventurous (or want to show off) you can easily disable this option and touch down on pads the hard way. Or you can just use an autodocking computer which will do everything for you from start to finish.
* ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLightMultiverse'', a mod for ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight'', has the Kasparov-Class, an antiquated human-built spaceship that was the first class to ever make an FTL Jump. Older than most tech in the setting, it lacks artificial gravity and instead uses a centrifuge ring. Some of the Leech fleetships are old enough to possess a 'whisk' structure which span to produce gravity. Most of them have been overhauled with more modern tech, however, and the hull are simply in use because the leeches are suffering economic issues.
* The eponymous station in ''VideoGame/{{Tacoma}}'' uses this system to ensure that the contractors working there over several months remain healthy, with each section connected by a central corridor. Travel between the central corridor and each of the sections is facilitated by a lift designed to ease the rider from zero-g to normal Earthlike gravity (as well as disguise the loading of each section by the game).

Currently, science has no way to created gravity where celestial bodies dictate there would be none, or a negligible amount. The only substitute is to otherwise cause acceleration toward stable surfaces. Accelerating in a straight line would constantly use up fuel and produce unwanted velocity, so the most practical solution is to travel in a circular path, causing constant acceleration toward the center.

** ''Literature/{{Ringworld}}'' is set on a world shaped like a vast ring with a sun at its centre. It's made of {{Unobtanium}} called ''scrith'' and is so massive that its geographical features include 1:1-scale maps of several ''planets'' (including Earth). ''These maps are significantly less than 1% of the ring's surface area.''

** In ''Literature/TheMoteInGodsEye'', Niven and Pournelle had human starships use the same set-up as the Fithp ship in ''Footfall''. In this story, the alien Moties are unbothered by a lack of gravity ([[spoiler: possibly due to mutation or genetic engineering during one of their many Cycles]]).
* ''Literature/TheCulture'' of Creator/IainBanks's novels builds Ringworld-style Orbitals (but smaller) as housing for many of its citizens. They have a few full size, fits-round-a-star Ringworlds, too, but they're much rarer, since you can get more usable area by using the same mass to build orbitals so most of the Culture regards them as tacky.
** Notably, this is a setting in which anti-gravity devices are common and reliable, but because the centrifugal force is not the same fundamental force as gravity (even if the net effect ends up the same) those anti-gravity devices will not function on a ring orbital as they would on a planet.
* Creator/ArthurCClarke's ''Rama'', from the series started by ''Literature/RendezvousWithRama'', is a massive cylindrical spacecraft.
* The protagonists of Creator/GregoryBenford's ''Literature/BeyondInfinity'' spend a brief time trapped in a Tunnelworld after an encounter with some 4-dimensional aliens. It was a closed loop, so traveling in any direction for a long enough time would return you to your point of origin.

* ''Series/TheArk2023'': Portrayed inconsistently. In the first few minutes of the pilot; Garnet has to stop the rotation of the spinning section of the ''Ark 1'' starship the cryo bay is in, predictably leading to the survivors floating in the corridor. When she restarts the rotation, everyone falls to the floor. But throughout the rest of the show, everywhere on all the Arks has the same 1-g gravity regardless of it it is spinning or not.

* Sigil from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' setting is this. It's also a sort of hub that connects to all the other planes of existence.

* [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/TabletopGame/TwentyThreeHundredAD 2300 AD]] does this with human-built ships. Justified in that it's trying to be a hard science setting.
* The MundaneDogmatic ''Tabletopgame/BattleTech'' universe lacks conventional artificial gravity, forcing ships to make do with "grav deck" centrifuges or ship acceleration for pseudo-gravity. [[FasterThanLightTravel JumpShips]] which just hang around a star's nadir points while recharging make the most use of centrifugal gravity, whereas {{Drop Ship}}s continuously accelerate in intra-system travel, providing pseudo-gravity. Prohibitive costs and maintenance means that there's generally more crew than room on the centrifuges, so space on the centrifuges are generally relegated to exercise, entertainment, and medical bays, with crew being allotted a certain amount of time per day in centrifuge areas. Centrifuges are most obvious on the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin descriptively named]] ''Wagon Wheel'' class of [=WarShips=], which has a trio of nested centrifuges mounted on the exterior of the fuselage.

* ''Literature/EndersGame'': Battle School is held aboard such a station. The central axis, which is in perpetual freefall, contains the training area for the cadets, allowing them to practice maneuvering and fighting in zero gravity.

* A cancelled (but built) Japanese module for the ISS would have housed a small centrifuge unit for biological research.

* The crew of Skylab were able to simulate this somewhat, not by spinning their space station, but by running along a convenient ring of panels. [[https://youtu.be/Oi2R24pFYjk?t=23s See it here]].

Currently, science has no way to created gravity where celestial bodies dictate there would be none, or a negligible amount. The only substitute is to otherwise cause acceleration toward stable surfaces. Accelerating in a straight line would constantly use up fuel and produce unwanted velocity, so the most practical solution is to travel in a circular path, causing constant acceleration toward the center. While Centrifugal Gravity is most often found in connection with {{Ring World Planet}}s, it is not limited to them, and the shape of the ship or habitat is irrelevant to whether this trope is in use or not.

*** Multiply by 2 and then π (3.14) (10.1 x 2 = 20.2. Then 20.2 x 3.14 = '''63.4'''
*** Our 2km across space station generating earth gravity for its inhabitants would rotate once every 63 and a half seconds.

*** Our 2km across space station would rotate once every 63 and a half seconds.

*** Let's say we're doing a radius of 1000 meters (1 kilometer, or .6 mile - that would be a wheel 2 km diameter - across - or 1.5 miles)

* If you want to play with rotating space stations and spaceships on paper, the only [[UsefulNotes/{{Mathematics}} math]] you need is algebra skill and a few simple equations. No calculus required.]]

* If you want to play with rotating space stations and spaceships on paper, the only [[UsefulNotes/{{Mathematics}} math]] you need is algebra skill and a few simple equations. No calculus required.

* ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLightMultiverse'', a mod for ''VideoGame/{{FTLFasterThanLight}}'', has the Kasparov-Class, an antiquated human-built spaceship that was the first class to ever make an FTL Jump. Older than most tech in the setting, it lacks artificial gravity and instead uses a centrifuge ring.
** Some of the Leech fleetships are old enough to possess a 'whisk' structure which span to produce gravity. Most of them have been overhauled with more modern tech, however, and the hull are simply in use because the leeches are suffering economic issues.

* ''VideoGame/{{FTLFasterThanLightMultiverse}}'', a mod for ''VideoGame/{{FTLFasterThanLight}}'', has the Kasparov-Class, an antiquated human-built spaceship that was the first class to ever make an FTL Jump. Older than most tech in the setting, it lacks artificial gravity and instead uses a centrifuge ring.

* In ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' most space stations are the ring type. The Bebop and many other ships have rotating sections that seem to generate gravity for the rest of the ship as well.
** The ring generates gravity outwards from the ship, though when the Bebop's parked on a planet without the ring spinning, they can walk around normally when most of the rooms should be upside down or sideways.
** ArtificialGravity is generally inconsistent in ''Cowboy Bebop'', with some characters standing with no obvious magnetic boots while other people or objects float in midair beside them.

''Gravity created within a spaceship, SpaceStation, or habitat by spinning it.''

Currently this is the only way humans have to generate gravity where there ordinarily would be none, or a negligible amount. The only other way consistent with established physics is to accelerate at a rate comparable to or higher than Earth's gravity. Rockets do this for a few minutes at launch, but the duration is limited by the amount of fuel available; ''sustained'' high acceleration would require more fuel than any practical-sized spaceship could carry. While Centrifugal Gravity is most often found in connection with {{Ring World Planet}}s, it is not limited to them, and the shape of the ship or habitat is irrelevant to whether this trope is in use or not.

** In ''Literature/SpaceCadet'', the concept of centrifugal gravity and some of the math is explained in the form of lessons for Cadet Matt Dodson and his fellow cadets.

* Practically the only means of simulating gravity in ''WebOriginal/OrionsArm''. There are even Banks Orbitals and Niven-style Ringworlds, which generally require [[{{Unobtanium}} magmatter]] to construct because of their size. The archailects might be able to produce ArtificialGravity with spacetime engineering but they generally don't because it would be too inefficient (ex. a small black hole).

* ''Paradyzja'' by Creator/JanuszZajdel has centrifugal gravity on the titular space station. [[spoiler: Or so they're telling you...]]

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', while artificial gravity is standard on most ships, the Citadel is mentioned as using centrifugal force, giving the Ward Arms a comfortable standard 1.02 G's, while the Presidium Ring is a lighter 0.3 G's. The Presidium itself also takes the form of a Stanford Torus.

* ''Film/{{Moonraker}}''. Hugo Drax's secret space station spins on its axis, providing gravity to those inside. However, Drax's space station was not cylindrical, rather it had a roughly spherical central portion with long appendages sticking out. When it "spins up", gravity is uniform everywhere, and directed towards the "floor" of the main area, when in reality it would vary enormously depending on where in the station you were, and would be directed away from the axis of rotation.When Film/JamesBond stops the rotation, the station interior goes to zero gravity and everyone starts floating around.

** In ''Literature/SpaceCadet'' he spends pages explaining the concept.
** ''Literature/TheRollingStones1952'' he has an apparently non-symmetric spaceship use this, mocked as a "tumbling pigeons".

* The protagonists of Creator/GregoryBenford's ''Beyond Infinity'' spend a brief time trapped in a Tunnelworld after an encounter with some 4-dimensional aliens. It was a closed loop, so traveling in any direction for a long enough time would return you to your point of origin.

* In ''Destruction of Phaena'' by Alexander Kazantsev, the eponymous planet's first (and last) space station was a ring that used centrifugal forces to emulate gravity. There was also a compartment in the middle of the ring, where they grew edible plants, which profited from the lack of "gravity".

* ''Reach'' by Edward Gibson. The Wayfarer 2 sent to the far reaches of the solar system is actually two vessels, joined by a tether, which are then spun.

* The ship used to reach the eponymous planet in Creator/BenBova's novel ''Mars'' has the crew section at the end of a long tether which spins around the drive/command section to provide artificial gravity for the crew during the voyage.