History Main / ArtificialGravity

** This also has the advantage of allowing relatively rapid interplanetary travel, taking only days or maybe weeks (if you're traveling out to Pluto or someplace really far), instead of years as it does now. The downside is that the power output from the engine would be gargantuan (meaning that if the engine has any sort of heat leakage, it will likely vaporize from the sheer heat). Real-life engines are generally either hi-thrust/low-exhaust-velocity (like the Space Shuttle) or low-thrust/high-exhaust-velocity (like with ion drives).

* The Tzenkethi in the Literature/StarTrekNovelVerse manipulate gravity on a local scale so they can use every surface of a room for work or recreation. They consider using only the floor to be a foolish waste of available space. Also, they're psychologically uncomfortable with open spaces and prefer the sense of enclosement that comes from having workstations on every wall, floor and ceiling. The effects are shown in the TerokNor and ''Literature/StarTrekTyphonPact'' series.

* Stephen R. Donaldson's ''TheGapCycle'' goes into detail about how artificial gravity works, how it affects the engines (when going into "tach", the artificial gravity is shut off or the rotation could cause the ship to miss its target), and even how having zero G and 1G psychologically affects the crew.

* Played straight in ''TheCulture'' (for the non rotating structures at least).

* In the ''Literature/KnownSpace'' stories by Creator/LarryNiven, human spaceships at first either used inertial (spinning) pseudo-gravity, or learned to do without. At least, until the Man-Kzin Wars (the Kzinti having developed artificial gravity, which humans reverse-engineered).

* ''The CoDominium'' setting uses only rotation or thrust to generate pseudogravity-- the amount of thrust needed for 1 G on a warship being roughly equal to detonating several multi-megaton thermonuclear warheads ''per second''. And they sometimes go to ''nine'' gees for several minutes; the limiting factor being not the engines or energy required, but how long the crew can stand the acceleration. No wonder they can [[DeathFromAbove slag planets]].
* In the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' novels by DavidWeber, ArtificialGravity is the basis of the series' distinctive "impeller drives" and coupled force fields as well as the hyperspace gravity wave-riding "Warshawski sails." Impeller drives can provide theoretically infinite acceleration, limited only by an inertial compensator's ability to prevent the crew from feeling it (usually topping out under 800 gravities). It's also the source of tractor beams which provide the basis for [[spoiler:the spider drive]], it's how bomb-pumped grasers shape the blast towards the lasing rods, and it has provided a revolution in cheap interstellar transport of goods and skyscraper design.

* In Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''HumanxCommonwealth'' series, the method of [[FasterThanLightTravel FTL propulsion]] used by most spacefaring races is accomplished by creating an extremely powerful artificial gravity field in front of a spaceship, which then pulls the vessel towards it. This pushes the field further forward, and so forth. As the ship approaches the speed of light, the distortion induced by the field shunts it into [[SubspaceOrHyperspace "space-plus"]]. The field is also used to create artificial gravity for the ship's inhabitants.

* An interesting variant is shown in at least one ship type in GordonRDickson's ''ChildeCycle'': the gravity generator is sandwiched between halves of the ship, so one half is upside-down relative to the other half, and you have to dive ''down'' through a hole in the floor of one section to come ''up'' in the other. This actually seems marginally more like something possible than having every deck oriented the same way and ''all with the same gravity'', as on ''Franchise/StarTrek'' ships.

* In SergeyLukyanenko's ''[[TheStarsAreColdToys Star Shadow]]'', the Strong races have gravity-manipulation technology (used to lift ships into orbit), implying the use of artificial gravity on their ships. The [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Geo]][[HumanAliens meters]] have artificial gravity on their ships. When a Russian "Buran" shuttle is docked to a Geometer ship, the latter's computer extends the ship's AG field to the shuttle. When the protagonist then gets into a fight with a more seasoned cosmonaut, he has the advantage, as he'd gotten used to AG, while the other man fights as one would in zero-g (e.g. hit and lightly push off to float to the ceiling).
* The invention of artificial gravity helps to drive the plot of LoisMcMasterBujold's ''[[Literature/VorkosiganSaga Falling Free]]'', rendering the Quaddies (genetically engineered HumanSubspecies designed with legs replaced by a second set of arms + hands and free-fall adapted metabolisms) obsolete.
* The Tzenkethi in the StarTrekNovelVerse manipulate gravity on a local scale so they can use every surface of a room for work or recreation. They consider using only the floor to be a foolish waste of available space. Also, they're psychologically uncomfortable with open spaces and prefer the sense of enclosement that comes from having workstations on every wall, floor and ceiling. The effects are shown in the TerokNor and ''Literature/StarTrekTyphonPact'' series.
* ''SectorGeneral'' has adjustable artificial gravity, which helps the doctors configure the various wards to an environment most suited for the species of patient in them.

* The discovery of a way to reduce gravity drives the plot of HarryHarrison's ''The Daleth Effect''. The discoverer specifically mentions that the knowledge could be used to do horrible things, such as grabbing chunks of the Moon and [[ColonyDrop dropping them on an enemy country]]. The use of the device, for example, allows a craft (which doesn't even need proper engines) to travel to the Moon within hours and to Mars within days (presumably, when Mars is near). A trip to Alpha Centauri would still take over 5 years, but this is ''much'' better than the centuries we're looking at with our current technology.

* In Warhammer40K, Space Hulks are the smashed-together remains of lost ships that occasionally resurface from the Warp. CiaphasCain ('''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!''') mentions the strange feeling of gravity shifting when they move in range of one ship's gravity generator to another.

* In NikolayNosov's children's book ''Dunno on the Moon'', the first expedition to the Moon brings back some rock samples, one of which turns out to have [[Literature/TheFirstMenInTheMoon cavorite]]-like properties when in close proximity to a magnet. Dubbing the mineral "moonite" (or "lunite"), Doono (the smart shorty) builds a big rocket to carry a second expedition to discover the nature of craters on the Moon (he things they were formed when the Moon was being formed in the manner of bubbles popping on a pancake) and retrieve more moonite for subsequent expeditions. The rocket is spacious and even has a hold full of seeds of the giant fruit and vegetable plants that grow all over Earth (it's implied that these plants are normal-sized but the shorties are ''very'' small). The titular character is excluded from the mission for being clueless about anything and rude to many shorties. He (and another excluded shorty) sneak about the night before take-off but accidentally activate the launch. Since the rocket engine doesn't provide much thrust (most of the lifting power is due to the properties of moonite), no one else hears it take off. The two shorties end up on the Moon and then accidentally find themselves falling through a crack... and find out that the [[HollowEarth Moon is hollow]]. They keep falling with their parachutes until they land on a mini-Earth inside the Moon.

* The first episode of ''LostInSpace'' has the artifical gravity turned off to make repairs.

* In NikolayNosov's children's book ''Dunno on the Moon'', the first expedition to the Moon brings back some rock samples, one of which turns out to have [[TheFirstMenOnTheMoon cavorite]]-like properties when in close proximity to a magnet. Dubbing the mineral "moonite" (or "lunite"), Doono (the smart shorty) builds a big rocket to carry a second expedition to discover the nature of craters on the Moon (he things they were formed when the Moon was being formed in the manner of bubbles popping on a pancake) and retrieve more moonite for subsequent expeditions. The rocket is spacious and even has a hold full of seeds of the giant fruit and vegetable plants that grow all over Earth (it's implied that these plants are normal-sized but the shorties are ''very'' small). The titular character is excluded from the mission for being clueless about anything and rude to many shorties. He (and another excluded shorty) sneak about the night before take-off but accidentally activate the launch. Since the rocket engine doesn't provide much thrust (most of the lifting power is due to the properties of moonite), no one else hears it take off. The two shorties end up on the Moon and then accidentally find themselves falling through a crack... and find out that the [[HollowEarth Moon is hollow]]. They keep falling with their parachutes until they land on a mini-Earth inside the Moon.

** The is fixed in the audioplay of ''Ender's Game'', where Graff mentions that it was indeed a Juke invention, whereas the Formics still didn't have it. The Little Doctor is also mentioned to be a product of that technology, originally developed as the "gravity laser" (or "glaser") designed to break down asteroids for quicker mining and actually used during the First Invasion by the Juke mining fleet to fight the enemy.

* In NikolayNosov's children's book ''Dunno on the Moon'', the first expedition to the Moon brings back some rock samples, one of which turns out to have [[TheFirstMenOnTheMoon cavorite]]-like properties when in close proximity to a magnet. Dubbing the mineral "moonite" (or "lunite"), Doono (the smart shorty) builds a big rocket to carry a second expedition to discover the nature of craters on the Moon (he things they were formed when the Moon was being formed in the manner of bubbles popping on a pancake) and retrieve more moonite for subsequent expeditions.

** He also mentions antigravity vehicles used by civilians. The Imperium of Man has yet to use AntiGravity in a military context, unlike the HoverTanks of the Tau and Eldar.

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' has a rare and interesting variation; artificial gravity is impossible. What they actually have is gravity ''manipulation'' or "gravitics", which is as well-developed as electronics. Those big round spheres every ship has are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutronium neutronium]], which acts as a source of gravity to manipulate. Also explores the concept of '''weaponized gravity''': 'Gravy guns' are extremely powerful, short-ranged weaponry that, well, [[IncrediblyLamePun uses gravy to make gravy]] (or compressed neutronium, or just fine shreds of atomic matter) out of anything it's aimed at.

* The very first episode of ''WesternAnimation/ExoSquad'' was partly aboard a cargo ship that had been attacked by pirates, and was without gravity. Or so they said, anyway. The animators apparently couldn't make up their minds about whether they were moving in or out of a gravity field. Otherwise, though, they have artificial gravity, and can even use it as a weapon for defending planets (GRAF [[=GRAvitational Focus=]] shields, the [[IncrediblyLamePun focus]] of the Venus story arc).

* {{Nightman}}'s anti-gravity belt is what allows him to fly. Apparently, according to the pilot, it was planned to be standard-issue for cops of the future, along with an InvisibilityCloak and an [[EyeBeams Eye Beam]].

** Also, in the episode "Brannigan Begin Again," the crew is delivering pillows to a world with significantly higher g than earth. Even after they land on the planet, they are unaffected until they step off the platform that lowered them to the surface. At this point Fry's normally upright hair falls, Bender's legs collapse, and Brannigan's girdle fails spectacularly.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' inverted the breaking part in the game's Codex. As soon as a ship goes into combat it loses all gravity due to heat reasons. The ships are color-coded to help right the disorientated passengers.

* Heim theory supports that a rotating magnetic field created by a ring spinning around a superconducting coil would produce an artificial or anti-gravity field. However, Heim theory has well-recognized problems with scientific and mathematical rigor: i.e. it's not exactly pseudoscience, but it's well outside the mainstream and fairly unlikely to be false.

* Stephen R. Donaldson's ''The Gap Cycle'' goes into detail about how artificial gravity works, how it affects the engines (when going into "tach", the artificial gravity is shut off or the rotation could cause the ship to miss its target), and even how having zero G and 1G psychologically affects the crew.

* Creator/RobertAHeinlein subverts this in some of his works, including several of the stories in "The Green Hills of Earth", (especially "We Also Walk Dogs" which is about this trope), but he plays it completely straight when it's convenient to the plot for him to do so (like in ''Literature/StarshipTroopers''.)

* Every alien spaceship in ''Animorphs'' fits this trope. When all of the Jahar's energy is taken away by the living asteroids in Andalite Chronicles, they are left floating inside their ship with no gravity. Also, Andalite dome ships have an interesting mechanic wherein it feels and looks as if you're walking off the edge of a cliff when moving from one part of the ship to another, where the new floor is at a ninety degree angle to the old, and each has its own gravity.

* Peter F. Hamilton's ''Night's Dawn'' trilogy has several forms of this: rotational, in the shape of the bitek or asteroid habitats; and more "sci-fi" in the form of the Voidhawks - they manipulate the shape of space-time (and thereby gravity) around them in order to move, then produce a counter-acceleration force for the crew compartments to leave a constant 1G gravitational field for the humans on board. Adamist starships have to make do with thrust acceleration. [[spoiler: In one of the short stories in the associated collection, Marcus Calvert stumbles upon an alien wreck which has actual artificial gravity - but they are forced to destroy the ship, losing the knowledge forever. However, given their eventual evident level of technology, it would be unlikely that the Kiint don't have artgrav of some description.]]

* Planet-bound example: In the ''Tripods'' trilogy, the Masters' domed cities are maintained at higher internal gravity than is normal for Earth, making life comfortable for the alien Masters and extremely arduous for their human slaves.

* The first episode of Lost in Space has the artifical gravity turned off to make repairs.

* Averted by the upcoming game ''Shattered Horizon'', which is a multiplayer FPS whose big draw is the complete freedom of movement provided by a zero-gravity environment.

* In ''Roblox'', most levels that are in space have this.

* In the Red vs. Blue universe, you'd expect there to be artificial gravity. It gets special mention because there's a few fight scenes in zero gravity that are amaz[[Awesome/RedVsBlue ing]].

* ''MassEffect'' inverted the breaking part in the game's Codex. As soon as a ship goes into combat it loses all gravity due to heat reasons. The ships are color-coded to help right the disorientated passengers.

* The first VideoGame/{{Doom}} novelization made gravity into something akin to a plot point at one early point in the story. This being a Doom novelization, the plot point was that the marine killed a monster with its help. This is notable considering that the video game didn't even have proper ''height'' let alone gravity.

* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/Armageddon Armageddon]] has a bizarre relationship with this trope, even by scifi standards. At various points the trope is averted, subverted, ''and'' played completely straight. Perhaps the most egregious example: The film specifically addresses the fact that the asteroid would have little or no gravity and gives the characters special suits and equipment with "thrusters" so they don't float away while out on the surface of the asteroid. Yet when the characters are inside their space shuttle, which is ''parked right on the asteroid'', they walk around unsuited as though under normal Earth gravity. [[FlatWhat What.]]

* The Tzenkethi in the StarTrekNovelVerse manipulate gravity on a local scale so they can use every surface of a room for work or recreation. They consider using only the floor to be a foolish waste of available space. Also, they're psychologically uncomfortable with open spaces and prefer the sense of enclosement that comes from having workstations on every wall, floor and ceiling. The effects are shown in the TerokNor and StarTrekTyphonPact series.

Many times a show set in space will brush off the gravity issue with "[[HollywoodMagnetism magnetic shoes]]". This bit of ArtisticLicensePhysics will magically affect everything a person is wearing and everything in the room, while in reality wearing shoes with magnets in them would only anchor your feet to metal floors - not your arms, hair, things you are holding...