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    Gravity Variations

    Does anyone else find it odd that of all of the planets we have traveled through the Stargate to visit, even in other galaxies, gravity has never been an issue? It could make sense that the kinds of planets that support life would be similar in make-up, but identical? Even a 10% increase/decrease in the mass of a planet would make a noticeable difference in gravity.

    Would be something interesting to see in the future.
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    #2
    Originally posted by Spimman View Post
    Does anyone else find it odd that of all of the planets we have traveled through the Stargate to visit, even in other galaxies, gravity has never been an issue? It could make sense that the kinds of planets that support life would be similar in make-up, but identical? Even a 10% increase/decrease in the mass of a planet would make a noticeable difference in gravity.

    Would be something interesting to see in the future.
    It would, but it'd probably take a huge chunk of the budget to make a relatively minor visual impact that I suspect wouldn't even be noticed by some people.

    But I'm with you, gravity variations should feature in a more realistic Stargate. Thing is, they are a lot cheaper to do in written stories!
    And now it's time for one last bow, like all your other selves. Eleven's hour is over now... the clock is striking Twelve's.
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      #3
      Originally posted by Spimman View Post
      Even a 10% increase/decrease in the mass of a planet would make a noticeable difference in gravity.
      That depends on whether you consider an increase of about 3% to be noticeable.

      Spoiler:
      Assuming constant density, m~(r^3), thus r~(m^(1/3)).

      g~m/(r^2), i.e., g~m/(m^(2/3))=(m^(1/3)).




      Originally posted by Spimman View Post
      Does anyone else find it odd that of all of the planets we have traveled through the Stargate to visit, even in other galaxies, gravity has never been an issue?
      Not really. For every 'Gate address in the Milky Way, there are over a hundred stars. Furthermore, the vast majority of those addresses lead nowhere. The Ancients (and the Goa'uld, to a lesser extent) would have put Stargates on worlds that were most comfortable to them, and with such a wide variety, it would have been a relatively simple matter to place Stargates only on worlds whose value of g was fairly close to that of Earth.
      "From East Middle School. Suzumiya Haruhi. I have no interest in ordinary humans. If there are any aliens, time travelers, sliders, or espers here, come join me."
      - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya; Best Character Introduction Ever.

      "And can we lose the ten thousand year old dead plants?!"
      - Stargate: Atlantis (1x03) "Hide and Seek"

      "Hammerheads do not load/unload units immediately – they must descend to ground level first. Initial experiments involving jump-jetting infantry into the Hammerhead’s cargo compartment met with unfortunate results."
      - Command&Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath Hammerhead Unit Spotlight

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        #4
        Yeah I guess you're right about them placing the gate where they wanted them. Still, in other galaxies they are meant to explore and find new life. All life wouldn't be just like us. Not a big deal, just crossed my mind.

        I agree, why spend big bucks for nothing too exciting.
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          #5
          we must not forget that it was the ancients that seeded the galaxy with gates and maybe they chose planets that would be able to sustain themselves.
          Some say that he has only one ear.
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            #6
            I agree it would help to reinforce the illusion that the team are on another planet, but to show low gravity the actors would probably have to be on a wire rig for every scene, and I would expect this would extend to items they need to drop or pick up too. VFX would also likely be needed.

            High gravity would probably be easier to film - strap hidden weights to an actor for one thing to make their movements harder!

            An in-universe explanation could simply be that humans are remarkably susceptible to even a slight change in gravity over long terms. While we know a bit about the effects of microgravity, drop in bone density, loss of muscle mass etc, the long term effects of low gravity are unknown. Perhaps people who have lived for several generations on a low-g planet are weak and useless as slaves for the Goa'uld, poor food sources for Wraith etc.

            On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised to find Chulak is a high-g planet.
            Last edited by Sealurk; 29 April 2009, 01:17 AM.
            And now it's time for one last bow, like all your other selves. Eleven's hour is over now... the clock is striking Twelve's.
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              #7
              It would be interesting to see how it would impact height as well.
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                #8
                Originally posted by Quadhelix View Post

                Not really. For every 'Gate address in the Milky Way, there are over a hundred stars. Furthermore, the vast majority of those addresses lead nowhere. The Ancients (and the Goa'uld, to a lesser extent) would have put Stargates on worlds that were most comfortable to them, and with such a wide variety, it would have been a relatively simple matter to place Stargates only on worlds whose value of g was fairly close to that of Earth.
                the man's right. i wish he hadn't crushed my head with that equation, but he is still right. The ancients wouldn't have placed gates on worlds with a noticable change in Gravity. think how many worlds there are out there!
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                  #9
                  I think where the Ancients would place the gates depends entirely on their reasoning behind creating the gate network. If it was to explore and learn about new races (especially in other galaxies) than they would put them on all planets that could support life, even planets with high/low gravity and/or different atmospheres.
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                    #10
                    Interesting discussion, I always wondered about the conditions on other planets so different than ours. We take for granted how very few would actually be compatible for human travel. I think the issue of variances in planetary conditions have always been a messy point in science fiction & it's interesting to see how different writers/creators treat the subject. Budgets & convenience determine how far they can go. From what I gathered, the gate network caters to planets located in the same "habitable zone" as conditions on Earth, mainly to reduce the chances of an unexpected trip (emergency) landing travelers on a toxic/lethal planet. The example I remember of human characters interacting with aliens living under different conditions was from Deep Space Nine...Dr. Bashir's girlfriend struggled quite a bit just trying to walk around normally in our gravity, even with all the prosthetics.
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                      #11
                      A higher gravity planet could be a great place for Advanced Special Forces training exercises!
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                        #12
                        Originally posted by Spimman View Post
                        I think where the Ancients would place the gates depends entirely on their reasoning behind creating the gate network. If it was to explore and learn about new races (especially in other galaxies) than they would put them on all planets that could support life, even planets with high/low gravity and/or different atmospheres.
                        This is a very good point. What was acceptable (or even reasonable) in SG-1 and Atlantis due to the "colonial" nature of those 'Gate networks would be less explainable in Universe, due to the exploration nature of its 'Gate networks.

                        Of course, there is then the problem of what happens when you have multiple species, each with different living environments, all sharing the same 'Gate network. It would be very unfortunate if the first explores from a g=0.5 world 'Gated to a g=5.0 world.

                        That, in and of itself, might be a good reason to limit where you put the 'Gates, or to establish multiple networks in the same galaxy (such that a 'Gate will not establish a connection with planets that have significantly higher or significantly lower values of g).
                        "From East Middle School. Suzumiya Haruhi. I have no interest in ordinary humans. If there are any aliens, time travelers, sliders, or espers here, come join me."
                        - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya; Best Character Introduction Ever.

                        "And can we lose the ten thousand year old dead plants?!"
                        - Stargate: Atlantis (1x03) "Hide and Seek"

                        "Hammerheads do not load/unload units immediately – they must descend to ground level first. Initial experiments involving jump-jetting infantry into the Hammerhead’s cargo compartment met with unfortunate results."
                        - Command&Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath Hammerhead Unit Spotlight

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                          #13
                          I guess that is why you send sensors in ahead of you, to check for that kind of stuff.
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                            #14
                            Originally posted by Spimman View Post
                            A higher gravity planet could be a great place for Advanced Special Forces training exercises!
                            Oddly enough, I wrote that into a fic of mine!
                            And now it's time for one last bow, like all your other selves. Eleven's hour is over now... the clock is striking Twelve's.
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                            Stargate Ragnarok | FF.net | AO3 | Lakeside | My Fallout 3 Mods | Poppy Appeal | Help For Heroes | Combat Stress

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                              #15
                              I really need to take some time to start reading more of those, I see so many cool comments about them. I bet Ba'al knows of some cool gravity variation worlds with his interest in the subject.
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