3220: Rotational Gravity

Rotational Gravity

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Title text: I don't get it. The peak acceleration for passengers was WAY lower than in the giant-waterslide-loop-the-loop incident the other cruise line fired me for.

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Explanation

This is one of 68 incomplete explanations: This page was created by A DISMEMBERED WATERSLIDE TEST DUMMY. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

Low-gravity environments can cause humans and other animals to lose muscle mass, a serious problem for people staying for extended periods on the International Space Station.

Cueball at first appears to be describing his experience operating a spaceship, creating artificial gravity by rotating the ship so as to preserve the passengers' muscle mass.

However, the caption to the panel indicates that the "ship" Cueball was operating was a cruise ship, not a space ship. Since cruise ships that travel upon the seas and oceans of the Earth, experience the same gravity that they would experience at sea level on land, there is no need for "artificial gravity" aboard a cruise ship.

Furthermore, Cueball's rotation of the ship along its longitudinal axis would involve turning the ship upside down (and then right side up again). This would likely result in many people aboard drowning, as well as anything on the decks being lost that wasn't nailed down. Of course not if he did this with the angular speed required to create artificial gravity. But a cruise ship would not be build to withstand the stress imposed on it if it was rotated like this (at all, independent of the speed!)

The title text references the earlier comic 2935: Ocean Loop, where Cueball made an Action Park's Cannonball Loop for Cruise ships. Such loops can subjected riders to up to nine gees of acceleration. Cueball complains about being fires, and says he do not understand why. Since "The peak acceleration for passengers was WAY lower than in the giant-waterslide-loop-the-loop incident the other cruise line fired me for." This is thus the second comic where Cueball has been fired by a cruise line for his hazardous actions. In the first comic he similarly complains about the decision of the cruise line in the title text.

Transcript

This is one of 43 incomplete transcripts: Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

[Cueball stands facing Hairbun and White Hat. Hairbun has a "steaming" symbol above her head indicating anger, while White Hat is facepalming.]

Cueball: I was able to produce artificial gravity by rotating the ship along its longitudinal axis, helping passengers maintain muscle mass on the long-duration voyage!

[Caption below the panel:]

Well, the cruise line fired me.

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Discussion

Beep, Boop! nothing else here yet ;) 216.25.182.141 03:06, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

Counterpoint the the action park thing; i think its referencing 2935 TheTrainsKid (talk) 03:26, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

For sure. It is a direct reference to that comic. I wonder if they should be seen as a two comics series? I think there is a bit too little for it. If there ever comes a third comic where Cueball is fired from a cruise line I would say there should be made a category for it though. --Kynde (talk) 08:44, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

Is he saying that the ship is rolling? This would not give as much artificial G than pitch or yaw. SDSpivey (talk) 04:53, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

It all depends on the rotation speed. It is more likely the ship would survive being rotated along that axis. Of course there would then only be gravity away from the central line of the ship. And of course the ship would not survive such a rotation. --Kynde (talk) 08:44, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm sure it could survive a few rotations. More than the people could. :) SDSpivey (talk) 14:34, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

What if it's a catamaran, rotating the main body of the ship like a barbecue spit? Barmar (talk) 18:28, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm wondering if this has to do with the imminent premiere of a science-based movie, Project Hail Mary? 2601:601:D47C:3090:B80E:E250:C231:507A 04:08, 18 March 2026 (UTC)

Very likely. In the book, the ship also used rotation to simulate 1g gravity, using spin drives. And because the spin drives were in the engine compartment on the rear of the aircraft, and they didn't want to bolt all the equipment to the ceiling prior to takeoff, the crew compartment had to be rotated to enter centrifuge configuration. (See [[1]].)136.47.216.1 21:03, 23 March 2026 (UTC)

The next number is prime! I wander if it will be a math one.

At this rate, around comic 3500 there will be enough about getting fired from cruise lines to maybe consider a category of its own R128 (talk) 17:17, 18 March 2026 (UTC)

Cueball's plan would seem to be quite easy to replicate. Swim to the stern of the ship, plant your feet firmly, and grasp the propeller(s), thereby stopping them. The engines will rotate the ship around the crankshaft centerline until they run out of fuel. These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For (talk) 23:49, 21 March 2026 (UTC)
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