Patent ID: 11884425
Assignee: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A method of generating artificial gravity environments in spacecraft modules, the method comprising:
operating a frame in space, the frame forming a portion of a spacecraft, the frame having a first track defining a center and a rotation axis extending through the center, the first track defining a path surrounding the center;
engaging a first module and a second module to the first track of the frame, the first module configured to engage the first track to travel along the first track in a circular-type path with curvilinear motion and generate an artificial gravity environment within the first module, and a second module configured to engage the first track at a location relative to the first module that minimizes mass imbalance for the spacecraft, the second module configured to travel along the first track in the circular-type path with curvilinear motion and generate an artificial gravity environment within the second module; and
mass balancing the first module relative to the second module to reduce gyroscopic precession and nutation or wobble of the frame, wherein said mass balancing comprises:
sensing load imbalance between the first and second modules; and
adjusting weight distribution of the first and second modules.