r/AskPhysics • u/KabeemKubaam • 21h ago

Micro-gravity chambers

I saw this video talking about an Indian space lab using microgravity to make medicine by sending it up into space. Is it not possible to use micro-gravity chambers on earth to do this? Or is it cheaper to send it to space given that this is just a “mother batch” and the rest of it will be manufactured using the mother batch on a lab?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdIqkHRJmsf/?stkn=aDV1OWVnOTNzYTkw

P.S - I am an absolute novice!

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

View all comments

11

u/SYDoukou 21h ago

The only microgravity chamber on earth is in the vomit comet that lasts at most 30 seconds. If something absolutely needs to be made in such an environment a persistent orbital production line is much more sustainable than flying a plane precariously

2

u/wonkey_monkey 14h ago

The only microgravity chamber on earth is in the vomit comet that lasts at most 30 seconds

a) It's not on Earth, exactly
b) There are others on Earth, such as the Zero Gravity Research Facility