Effects of Exoplanetary Gravity on Human Locomotion Ability

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Author: Nikola Poljak
• Author: Dora Klindzic
• Author: Mateo Kruljac
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Science; (Department of Physics)
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Physics

Abstract (english)

At some point in the future, if mankind hopes to settle planets outside our solar system, it will be crucial to determine the range of planetary conditions under which human beings could survive and function. In this article, we apply physical considerations to determine the limitations that gravity imposes on several systems governing the human body. Initially, we examine the ultimate limits at which the human skeleton breaks and muscles become unable to lift the body from the ground. We also produce a new model for the energetic expenditure of walking, by modeling the leg as an inverted pendulum. Both approaches conclude that, with rigorous training, humans could perform normal locomotion at gravity no higher than 4g_Earth.

• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review - international
• Publication version: Published version
• Journal title: Physics Teacher
• Numbering: vol. 57, no. 6, pp. 378-381
• p-ISSN: 0031-921X
• e-ISSN: 1943-4928
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1119/1.5124276
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:217:788281
• Publication: 2019
• Document URL: http://aapt.scitation.org/doi/10.1119/1.5124276
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Public note: © 2019 American Association of Physics Teachers. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. Published Online: 23 August 2019.
• Created on: 2020-08-24 14:11:56