Zero G question

I was doing some thinking on the way home from work friday, and I was wondering:

If you took a earth sized body that was solid (no molten core), and tunneled down to the center, would you reach a point, when gravity would pull evenly on you from all directions. Is this something that could theoretically be done. Zero G in the middle of a solid body?

Yes, supposedly you fall through back and forth until you reach an equilibrium and hang suspended in a molten pool of death and pressure.

Yes. Simply gravitational physics predicts this, and it's true. Plenty of threads on this around.

Is it possible? Nope. Way too big. And you can't avoid the pressure of the trillions of tons of rock.

You would not be able to tunnel through unless you had something from The Core.

Providing that somehow you could get to the center of such a body, yes, all the forces on you would balance out and you would achieve zero G.

Originally posted by simtek 22
I was doing some thinking on the way home from work friday, and I was wondering:

If you took a earth sized body that was solid (no molten core), and tunneled down to the center...

Seems to me there is a lot of this thinking going on lately but no real thought. Earth is approximately 7,900 miles in diameter or 3,950 miles to the center. A Google search shows the deepest drilled hole is 4,000 feet in 8 weeks. Assuming they could continue at that speed forever (and with whatever consequences), it would take more than 600 years to get to the center.

The 4,000 foot hole is not big enough for a human body. It is also believed to be 1,000 feet off center. They would miss the center by about 1,000 miles.

Now how about the problems of keeping the drill centered, keeping it cooled, making the hole big enough to put a man in, the extreme pressures found, the molten mass in the center.

And your concern of great wonder, is what would gravity be like???

Originally posted by Qwas

Now how about the problems of keeping the drill centered, keeping it cooled, making the hole big enough to put a man in, the extreme pressures found, the molten mass in the center.

And your concern of great wonder, is what would gravity be like???

He he Qwas...

You underestimate the power of the words "IF" and " Theoretically".

Originally posted by Qwas
And your concern of great wonder, is what would gravity be like???

Well, better to wonder about the thing that won't kill you, know?

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but at least it died smarter.

I know that if you are far enough out in space, you achieve 0g. I was just wondering if you could get to 0g in the center of a large mass.

I know you can simulate 0g by using a diver's weight belt to equalize your buoyancy (not sure on that spelling) under water. I had a roommate long time back that was a certified diver and explained all the equipment he would use.

Pretty sure the method of travel is of little concern...
Question being, if you were at the very bottom of a large gravity well, what would happen?
Would you float? Would you be crushed? How much of a gravity gradient would there be? Would there be no gravity in your intestines but immense gravity at your head and feet? Would you go insane?
Can't say I can answer the question at hand... there's too many possible explanations for the mechanics of gravity to really predict without actual experimentation. On the one hand, sure you could balance out and just hang there as if you were at the bottom of a slide. On the other, you could be crushed by the gravity acting on all points focused at your center. On yet another, you could actually be ripped apart in every direction and repelled outward. Can't really say for certain... it is something to ponder.

It is almost imposibleto do it on Earth (at least today), but experiments as - what happens if you are in the centre of the gravity emiting object - can be made in space for example Moon or even smaller planetoids.

Originally posted by simtek 22
I know that if you are far enough out in space, you achieve 0g.

Assuming you reach infinity or are in a conveniently placed location. The latter is like the diver.