From: root@mauve.demon.co.uk   
      
   Gordon D. Pusch  wrote:   
   > zoltanccc@aol.com (Zoltan Szakaly) writes:   
   >   
   >> I have recently found out that a hamster was levitated by applying a   
   >> strong magnetic field of 16 Teslas using a superconducting   
   >> electromagnet.   
   >>   
   >> This is significant to me because you could use the technology to   
   >> potentially create artificial gravity on spacecraft.   
   >   
   > This idea has been discussed many, many times before in this newsgroup.   
   > The effect depends on the field _gradient_. Given the current material   
   > limitations on superconductor  critical field strengths, it is not practical   
   > for objects much larger than frogs or hamsters. Furthermore, the amount of   
   > energy that would be stored in such a field is impractically large, and the   
   > magnetic field would play all sorts of hob with electronics and other   
   > instruments.   
      
      
   What's the field needed to levitate a human?   
      
   I get 16T/38mm from a first search for the frog.   
      
   Would it be reasonable to assume that it would need 160T/380mm?   
      
   > would be impractically large. Still further, the inductance of the field   
   > coils will be so large that it is utterly impractical to energize them   
   > with a fast enough rise-time to offset the rate of onset of the collision.   
      
   Not inherently, you could have lots of one-turn (or even partial turn)   
   windings in parallel.   
      
   > Finally, since the force is primarily exerted on soft tissues with varying   
   > water contents, while bones are massive and do not contain significant   
   > quantities of water compared to soft tissues, the differential accelerations   
   > sustained by the various parts of the body will still kill you.   
      
   It seems reasonable to assume that it will help at least a bit.   
      
   However, it might be noted that the human body can take quite a lot,   
   prepared right.   
   A 1970s study found that if immersed in a bath of water, the average   
   "motivated volulanteer" would take 25G for a minute or so, before terminating   
   the test.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)