[gurps] What good is microgravity to a spacer?

[Onno Meyer]

Take a setting without artificial gravity and without engines 
which allow continuous acceleration. That leaves only spin to
simulate gravity.

VXi has rules which give the maximum spin gravity in relation 
to the spin radius, or (reversing the formula) a minimum size 
for the desired gravity. This size is inconveniently high for
small starships. A streamlined 30,000-cf ship can get 0.03 G 
at best.

So the question is: What are the advantages and drawbacks of 
0.03 G compared to genuine zero G?

* 0.03 G might allow papers to settle slowly on a desk, but 
  people accustomed to 1 G will still hit the ceiling if they
  make one careless move. Would genuine zero G be easier to 
  handle?

* Are the medical consequences of 0.03 G significantly better
  than those of 0 G?

* The ship is designed for horizontal takeoff and landing, so
  planetary down is perpendicular to thrust down, but people 
  are not supposed to move around under power. 

  Designing for zero gravity would mean that down is either 
  planetary down or that there is no down at all. Designing 
  for spin gravity complicates matters -- now there are TWO
  DIFFERENT downs.

So would the benefits of having 0.03 G outweigh the extra 
bother with two different directions?

Onno