<\/div>\nIn the film, Dr Heywood Floyd\u2019s shuttle docks at the axis of Space Station 1 \u2013 a 275m (900ft) diameter, slowly rotating wheel.<\/p>\n
As he makes his way outward along one of the spoke-like corridors, his weight (which is a measure of the gravitational force acting on his body)\u00a0 gradually increases until finally, at the rim of the station, it is close to his weight on Earth.<\/p>\n
Of course, it\u2019s not quite the same as gravity on Earth.<\/p>\n
If Floyd drops an object, it does not fall directly to the floor, but appears to be deflected in the opposite direction to the space station\u2019s rotation.<\/p>\n
This is known as the \u2018Coriolis effect\u2019.<\/p>\n
The Coriolis effect illustrates a subtle point that was recognised by Einstein: gravity is only truly indistinguishable from acceleration in very small volumes of space.<\/p>\n
This means that, although it is possible for us to simulate something like Earth\u2019s gravity, we can never really do it perfectly.<\/p>\n
This article originally appeared in the May 2006 issue of <\/strong><\/em>BBC Sky at Night Magazine<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n
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