197: Chapter 197 Experiment Success: The First Gravity Simulator
The microscopic gravitational field anomaly of the "shadow catcher" project was like a pebble cast into a deep theoretical pool, sending ripples spreading far faster and further than Professor Werner and Lin Mo had anticipated.
Just six weeks later, these ripples converged into the first visible, tangible "wave" in another closely related laboratory.
Location: The auxiliary living area of the "Guanghan Palace" base, the "Long-term Resident Physiological Adaptation Research Center."
Unlike the mystery hidden deep underground in the "shadow catcher" project, this place was bright, clean, and full of life, but at this moment, the area outside the center's largest circular test chamber was crowded with nervous scientists, engineers, and medical experts.
Inside the test chamber, there were no complex collider rings; instead, there was a flat, cylindrical device with a diameter of about five meters, constructed entirely from dark silver "keystone-1 type" derivative materials.
The surface of the device was covered in intricate patterns and tiny energy nodes, quietly floating in the center of the chamber.
This was "Gravity Simulator - Prototype One," codenamed "Taishan."
"The core algorithms and field excitation parameters provided by the 'shadow catcher' project have been loaded."
The project lead, Dr. Zhou Min, a middle-aged female scientist with a background in both engineering and physiology, was reporting to Lin Mo and Elder Chen in the observation room via a communicator.
"The core of 'Taishan' is to take the principle of 'leveraging' the microscopic gravitational field used by Professor Werner and his team and perform a macroscopic, low-power, controllable amplification through a composite field amplification and interference array we designed."
"Our goal is not to distort space to achieve jumps, but rather... to precisely simulate or counteract standard Earth gravity, or even create different gravitational environments, within a localized area."
"Test ready," an operator reported.
Inside the test chamber, a platform slowly rose from the ground, fixed with a set of precision sensors and several transparent containers holding different biological samples—including a small green plant, a cage of experimental mice, and jellyfish slowly swimming in nutrient solution.
"First test, target: generate a stable 0.5 times standard Earth gravity (0.5 G) within a three-meter diameter core area," Dr. Zhou Min ordered, "Initiate!"
The patterns on the surface of the "Taishan" device began to light up from the bottom, as if injected with ghostly blue energy, rapidly spreading upwards.
A low, steady humming sound resonated—not noise, but a peculiar resonance, as if space itself were vibrating slightly.
The light around the device began to show visible, water-like distortions.
The readings on the sensors on the platform immediately began to change.
The gravitational acceleration value dropped steadily and linearly from the standard 9.8 m/s², finally stabilizing at 4.9 m/s².
The stability of the pointers and numbers meant the successful establishment and maintenance of the simulated field.
In the observation room, a collective gasp of suppressed excitement broke out.
Through high-definition cameras, people could see the leaves of the green plant on the platform unfurling at a slightly different angle in the low-gravity environment; the experimental mice in the cage were initially restless but quickly adapted, their movements becoming noticeably "lighter"; the swimming rhythm of the jellyfish also changed subtly.
"Duration?" Lin Mo asked.
"Stable operation for 300 seconds... 500 seconds... 1000 seconds! Energy consumption curve is stable, field stability index is within expected range!" the operator's voice was filled with excitement.
"Very good. Switch test, target: 1.2 times standard gravity (1.2 G)," Dr. Zhou Min continued.
The frequency of the humming sound was fine-tuned.
The distortion of light around "Taishan" deepened.
Sensor readings began to climb, crossing 9.8, and finally stabilizing at 11.76 m/s².
The experimental organisms on the platform immediately showed "heavy" reactions; the plant leaves drooped slightly, the mice's movements became sluggish and laborious, and the jellyfish's swimming frequency decreased.
Next came more complex tests: gravity gradient simulation (generating different gravity at different locations in space), local gravity direction offset, and short, rapid gravity switching.
In all tests, the "Taishan" prototype basically met the design requirements, with the error rate controlled within 5%.
The most exciting test was the last one.
The test subjects were replaced by two strictly screened and trained volunteer astronauts (former rotating personnel of the "Guanghan Palace" base).
They wore light clothing and walked into the core area of "Taishan."
When the gravity was switched to 0.3 G (simulating Mars gravity), smiles of surprise appeared on the faces of the two astronauts.
They easily performed jumps and movements that would have required effort on Earth, and one of them even attempted a simple mid-air twist.
"It feels amazing! The burden on muscles and bones is significantly reduced, but movement control remains precise!" one astronaut reported via microphone.
When the gravity was briefly increased to 1.5 G, although they immediately felt the pressure and their breathing quickened slightly, they were still able to maintain basic posture under their intensive training.
"Short-term tolerance is good, can be used as a training project," the other astronaut commented.
"Success! We have truly created controllable gravity!" Dr. Zhou Min could not hide her excitement, "This means that in future long-term space voyages and extraterrestrial base stays, astronauts will no longer have to endure muscle atrophy, bone loss, and cardiovascular problems caused by microgravity!"
"We can simulate a comfortable gravity environment close to Earth's for them inside spaceships or bases! This can greatly extend the duration of space missions, improve mission safety, and even make it easier for ordinary people to adapt to space life!"
Applause erupted in the observation room.
This was not just another technological breakthrough; this had cleared one of the most fundamental physiological obstacles for humanity to truly head into deep space.
From the anti-gravity of the "floating vehicle" to the gravity creation of "Taishan," humanity's mastery of gravity, this fundamental force, was moving from "resistance" to "control."
Lin Mo looked at the stably operating "Taishan" device in the test chamber, his thoughts already flying further ahead.
The success of the gravity simulator verified the feasibility of the macroscopic application of graviton manipulation technology.
Then, the "gravity shield" and "space stabilization anchor" envisioned by Professor Werner, at least in principle, also saw a glimmer of hope.
This might be one of the key pieces of the puzzle in dealing with the high-mobility space jump capability that the "Purifiers" might possess.
"Immediately compile all test data and share it deeply with the 'shadow catcher' project team," Lin Mo instructed Dr. Zhou Min, "At the same time, start the design of the 'Taishan-2' type, with the goal of expanding the effective range to the module level (tens of meters) and further improving energy efficiency and stability."
"Prioritize application in the expansion of the 'Guanghan Palace' base and the design of the next-generation deep space habitat ships."
"Yes!"
Although the news had a high security classification, the rumors of "initial success of the gravity simulator" still caused huge tremors in the GDA core scientific research circles and some high-level strategic planning departments.
This represented a solid step forward for basic physics research toward practical application, its significance no less than the first ignition of controllable nuclear fusion back in the day.
On the same day the "Taishan" test succeeded, the "Thousand-Mile Eye Plan" deep space array once again captured weak gravitational fluctuations from the direction of the Kuiper Belt.
This time, the similarity of the fluctuation characteristics to the "Ripper" jump mode increased to 85%, and it seemed... to have very regular interruptions, like some kind of "heartbeat" or "beacon" pulse.
The analysis report of the system coldly pointed out: There is a 71% probability that this signal is not a natural phenomenon or aftershock, but a conscious, low-power, periodic transmission.
"Are they 'calling'? Or 'positioning'?" Lin Mo stared at the regularly jumping spectrum, the sense of urgency in his heart rising again.
The joy brought by the introduction of gravity manipulation technology and the success of the gravity simulator was diluted a lot by this "gravitational pulse" from deep space with unknown meaning.
Meanwhile, in the increasingly shrinking control area of the "Pretty Country," Wilkins, in a semi-manic state, also vaguely heard rumors of GDA's "major progress" in the "gravity field" through his fragmented intelligence network.
Combined with the movements he had perceived before, a deeper fear gripped him—the other side was not only crushing them in applied technology, but now even their pace in touching the deepest mysteries of the universe had left them far behind.
He issued a hoarse, "Night Owl"-like laugh to the empty conference room, which only had a few die-hard loyalists left: "Gravity... the power of God... they even want to touch this... haha... well, the higher you climb, the harder you fall! Watch! Watch every move they make! Especially those related to gravity and space! I don't believe they have no weaknesses! As long as we find that weakness..."
In his eyes, there was only the last bit of near-nihilistic, suicidal, crazy firelight left.
"Taishan" quietly stopped testing, and the ghostly blue light gradually extinguished.
But what it opened was a door to the era of "artificial gravity," and the wider and more challenging interstellar future that followed.
Gravity, the invisible hand that once dominated the fate of all things, was being carefully, yet firmly, attempted to be brought under the control of human civilization.