Science Fiction Writer
ROBERT J. SAWYER
Hugo and Nebula Winner

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In my novel Foreigner, as Wab-Novato rode up the space elevator built by the Jijaki nanotechnology, the apparent gravity in the elevator cab faded away. Here's the spreadsheet I used to work out exactly how much apparent gravity she would feel at each point in her journey, created with the help of my physicist friend Dr. Ariel Reich (to whom my novel Starplex is dedicated):

  Apparent gravity in cab going up the Jijaki space elevator,
  assuming the cab is rising at a constant speed of 110 km/h

  =====================================================================
  Distance Earth   Quint   Face's  Moon's  Centri-   Apparent      % of
  up Tower  Days    Days     Grav    Grav    fugal    Gravity   surface
     (km)                                             (m/s^2)   gravity
  =====================================================================
        0   0.00    0.00    -3.35  -11.13     3.69     -10.79   100.00%
    1,000   0.38    0.78    -3.31   -8.18     3.71      -7.78    72.07%
    2,000   0.76    1.55    -3.27   -6.26     3.73      -5.80    53.76%
    3,000   1.14    2.33    -3.23   -4.95     3.75      -4.43    41.03%
    4,000   1.52    3.10    -3.20   -4.01     3.77      -3.43    31.77%
    5,000   1.89    3.88    -3.16   -3.31     3.80      -2.67    24.78%
    6,000   2.27    4.66    -3.12   -2.78     3.82      -2.09    19.34%
    7,000   2.65    5.43    -3.09   -2.37     3.84      -1.62    14.99%
    8,000   3.03    6.21    -3.05   -2.04     3.86      -1.23    11.44%
    9,000   3.41    6.98    -3.02   -1.78     3.88      -0.91     8.48%
   10,000   3.79    7.76    -2.98   -1.56     3.91      -0.64     5.96%
   11,000   4.17    8.53    -2.95   -1.39     3.93      -0.41     3.80%
   12,000   4.55    9.31    -2.92   -1.24     3.95      -0.21     1.90%
   13,000   4.92   10.09    -2.89   -1.11     3.97      -0.02     0.23%
   13,145   4.98   10.20    -2.88   -1.09     3.97        .00      .00%
   13,200   5.00   10.24    -2.88   -1.09     3.98       0.01    -0.09%
   14,000   5.30   10.86    -2.85   -1.00     3.99       0.14    -1.27%
   15,000   5.68   11.64    -2.82   -0.91     4.01       0.28    -2.63%
   16,000   6.06   12.41    -2.79   -0.83     4.04       0.42    -3.86%
   17,000   6.44   13.19    -2.76   -0.76     4.06       0.54    -5.00%
   18,000   6.82   13.97    -2.73   -0.70     4.08       0.65    -6.05%
   19,000   7.20   14.74    -2.70   -0.64     4.10       0.76    -7.02%
   20,000   7.58   15.52    -2.67   -0.59     4.12       0.86    -7.94%
   21,000   7.95   16.29    -2.65   -0.55     4.15       0.95    -8.81%
   22,000   8.33   17.07    -2.62   -0.51     4.17       1.04    -9.62%
   23,000   8.71   17.85    -2.59   -0.48     4.19       1.12   -10.40%
   24,000   9.09   18.62    -2.56   -0.45     4.21       1.20   -11.14%
   25,000   9.47   19.40    -2.54   -0.42     4.23       1.28   -11.85%
   26,000   9.85   20.17    -2.51   -0.39     4.26       1.35   -12.54%
   26,290   9.96   20.40    -2.50   -0.38     4.26       1.37   -12.73%

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