Discussion on:

Zero-gravity tool makes surgery in space possible

I wasn't aware, being very ignorant about space traveling, that operating on a human body up there could have such drastic and dramatic consequences.

That means that unless they solve that problem immediately, traveling would be utterly dangerous, because people get sick or have accidents all the time and coming back to Earth just to treat the injury sounds like terribly impractical, specially if they are already near Mars or whatever (the frustration for the crew!) and without mentioning --in these days of scarce economics-- the expense!
And will they have enough fuel for the trip back?

The injured person will die during the return just tired of waiting so long to be back home for the treatment.

The 'Surgery Issues' were addressed and solved in the Skylab unit - back in the 1979.

Don Nagy

They may have been 'addressed' but could not have been solved otherwise why bother 'inventing the wheel' as above???

Any long term space travel should probably be done with artificial gravity which would obviate the need for this device. Put a long cable between two halves of the spacecraft and set it spinning.

Riverrat1 - you could also have a cylidrical (can) shaped craft that spins on its long axis. Or, like in 2001, a wheel/disc shape spinning around a central core that has varying levels of AG depending on how far from the core and how fast it rotates.

This is more of a question than an opinion - This has always been something that I never could understand. You see any Hollywood (or other) movies concerning Mars exploration and the 'ship' always has nuclear engines and a rotating crew compartment to provide SG. Other than expense - which would be significant - why can this not work. Also, other than the aforesaid expense, why was the ISL built in its present form and not as a rotating wheel a la 2000AD! Was/is it just a matter of money or were there tech. reasons?