The Griffiths Dual-Ring Superconducting Artificial-Gravity Habitat Architecture: Counter-Rotating Magnetic Levitation Design for Long-Duration Deep-Space Habitation

Abstract

Long-duration human habitation beyond Earth's magnetosphere requires artificial gravity to prevent the progressive musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and neurovestibular deterioration observed in sustained microgravity exposure. Existing artificial gravity concepts tethered systems, single-ring centrifuges, and rotating drums each exhibit fundamental limitations in gyroscopic stability, physiological adequacy, structural scalability, or integration with active propulsion and defence architectures. This paper presents the Griffiths Dual-Ring Superconducting Artificial-Gravity Habitat Architecture: a counter-rotating, magnetically levitated habitat system providing 0.8 g at the outer habitation ring (100 m outer diameter, 50 m radius) and 0.6 g at the inner laboratory ring (75 m outer diameter, 37.5 m radius), both at a common rotation rate of 3.78 RPM (ω = 0.396 rad/s). Counter-rotation eliminates net angular momentum, removing gyroscopic coupling with attitude control systems and enabling free reorientation of the combined habitat. Superconducting toroidal coils provide magnetic levitation, structural rigidity, and electromagnetic bearing functionality with field stability maintained at ±0.01 T through closed-loop flux feedback. The governing framework quantifies centripetal acceleration, hoop stress in the ring structure, magnetic levitation force balance, thermal radiative equilibrium, and angular momentum cancellation conditions. Coriolis acceleration at walking speed (1 m/s) is 0.79 m/s² (8.1% of local gravity), within published adaptation limits. The gravity gradient across a 1.8 m crew height is 3.6%, negligible relative to physiological thresholds. The architecture integrates with the Griffiths Reactive-Field Framework (GRFF) four-layer defence envelope, GNMT propulsion, NGLS EVA logistics, and the DIGSP governance protocol, forming a complete deep-space habitation system within the Griffiths Canon. The habitat architecture is now explicitly integrated with the GNMT v7.0 Nuclear Microwave‑Thermal propulsion system and its Rotating Electromagnetic Nozzle (REMN) stacks, providing a unified propulsion–habitation interface. Dedicated EVA logistics ports support the Griffiths Free‑Flying EVA Logistics Sled (NGLS) for external maintenance, cargo movement, and distributed construction. Two experimental bays in the central spine are reserved for compact superconducting EM‑curvature test modules, leveraging shared REBCO‑class coil technology while maintaining full isolation from the levitation system. These integrations align the habitat with the broader Griffiths Canon and its propulsion, logistics, and experimental frameworks.