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Astronauts in orbit are weightless, but not because they are beyond the pull of earth's gravity. If the moon, roughly 240,000 miles away, is within the influence of earth's gravity, so is an astronaut just a few miles up in comparison. Astronauts are weightless because they are in orbit, and being in orbit can be thought of very roughly as a special kind of freefall. They are held by gravity, but they are also moving along a path that keeps them from descending appreciably during their flight. If you remember clips you have seen of astronauts in the space station, floating freely, you can see how futile it would be to try to 'stand' on an ordinary house scale to measure how 'heavy' they are in pounds. But if you could sling an astronaut around on a kind of mass-measuring centrifuge (not too fast, of course) you would see that they are maintaining a healthy mass. Weight and mass are different measures, even if they seem to be indistinguishable on the earth's surface.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe power of gravity gets smaller as you get further away.
So the gravitational pull of the Earth is very small in space. It is not exactly zero.
Improved answer: the gravitational pull of the earth decreases the further away you go from it, but a space station is not very far away, so the difference in gravity is not much. Read the answers that discuss free fall.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoBecause They're in free fall ...They are held by gravity, but they are also moving along a path that keeps them from descending appreciably during their flight. If you remember clips you have seen of astronauts in the space station, floating freely, you can see how futile it would be to try to 'stand' on an ordinary house scale to measure how 'heavy' they are in pounds.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThere is gravity in space. How else would the planets stay in orbit? im learning about gravity right now in science class. astronauts feel weightless in space because they are at a constant state of free fall. the earths gravity has less effect on the astronaut in orbit. the gravitational pull is not as much in space, but there is gravity which causes the astronaut to feel weightless while in orbit.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoAs there is no gravity in space, everything will float.
.......... Because They're in free fall ........
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoThey're in freefall.
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True or false. Orbiting astronauts feel weightless because they are beyond the gravitational pull of the earth?
False.Orbiting astronauts feel weightlessness since the gravitational pull of the Earth is balanced by the centrifugal force due to the circular orbital motion, which balance each other out since the spaceship is in orbit. That is, the weightlessness is because of no net force on the astronaut.In a nutshell, if you are orbiting, then irrespective of what height you're doing it, you'd be weightless.
You are explaining to friends why astronauts feel weightless orbiting in the space shuttle and they respond that they thought gravity was just a lot weaker up there?
It depends. If there is an orbit, the motion may provide a force in the opposite direction as the gravity, leading to weightlessness. Of course, the force goes down as 1/(r*r), where r is the radius of separation.
How did the astronauts know the moon was safe?
While they didn't know with absolute certainty that it was safe, previous unmanned missions to the moon (such as the Surveyor missions) had proven quite successful, and while no mission like the moon landing can ever be completely safe, the astronauts didn't feel they were taking any undue risk with their lives.
Why does an astronaut float in outer space?
When you see astronauts in space, they are in orbit. A person or object in orbit is essentially in freefall. If you have gone on a roller coast or gone bungee jumping, you will have found that you feel weightless when you are in freefall. It is the same case with astronauts in orbit. Another way of seeing it is that the astronauts are falling at the same rate that the spacecraft is.
Why are astronauts able to ride at night?
Because they feel like it, dude!!
Where does an astronaut start to feel weightless?
when the rockets stop firing, astronauts begin free fall (weightless).
Why do astronauts in orbit feel weightlessness?
they are falling through space around earth
Where can you go in a zero gravity chamber?
There is no such thing as a zero gravity chamber. The only way to experience weightlessness is in freefall. There are planes that you can board which will go into dives up to 30 seconds long. During these dives the planes are in freefall. Since you are falling at the same rate as the plane is, you will seem to float around the cabin and will feel weightless. It is the same reason that astronauts in orbit are weightless.
Are astronauts weightless during the Shuttle's launch?
Noop. In fact, as the Shuttle is accelerating, the astronauts are experiencing not only the pull of gravity, but also the acceleration of the rocket. For the comfort of the crew, they try to keep the excess gravity to about 4 G, basically 4 times the pull of gravity. Only after the engines have stopped, and the shuttle is no longer accelerating, will the astronauts feel weightless, as the Shuttle and astronauts are all falling around the Earth at the same speed.
What area marks the boundary where the earth's atmosphere is constrained by gravity?
There is no boundary where Earth's atmosphere is constrained by gravity. Many feel that astronauts orbiting above the Earth are weightless because they are far away from Earth's gravity , but weightlessness is actually caused by the free-falling of an object that is in orbit.
True or false. Orbiting astronauts feel weightless because they are beyond the gravitational pull of the earth?
False.Orbiting astronauts feel weightlessness since the gravitational pull of the Earth is balanced by the centrifugal force due to the circular orbital motion, which balance each other out since the spaceship is in orbit. That is, the weightlessness is because of no net force on the astronaut.In a nutshell, if you are orbiting, then irrespective of what height you're doing it, you'd be weightless.
Do astronauts in orbit around the earth experience the same gravitational force as they do on ground?
Yes, but they do not "feel" gravity, because they are falling - "free fall" in orbit around the Earth.
You are explaining to friends why astronauts feel weightless orbiting in the space shuttle and they respond that they thought gravity was just a lot weaker up there?
It depends. If there is an orbit, the motion may provide a force in the opposite direction as the gravity, leading to weightlessness. Of course, the force goes down as 1/(r*r), where r is the radius of separation.
Why do astronauts on a space station feel weightless?
At 100 miles from the surface of the earth, gravity is still quite strong, as you've indicated. The reason astronauts appear to be weightless is because they are in freefall. I.e. they are being pulled down by gravity, but never touching anything that provides an equal but opposite force up. If they are falling, why aren't they hitting the ground (or at least the floors/walls of their space craft)? It's because they (and their spacecraft) are in orbit. To be in orbit at 100 miles up, you'd have to be traveling at about 17,000 mph perpendicular to the pull of gravity. Fast enough so that when you fall toward the Earth, you move away far enough that the curve of the Earth "falls" away from you, so you stay at the same height.
What are some effects of gravity upon astronauts during a shuttle launch?
they are all in orbit so when they come to the surface of the earth they feel nausia
How do space shuttles reduce gravity?
They do not. When an object such as the space is in orbit it is essentially in freefall. If you have been n a roller coaster you'll have found that you feel weightless when you are in freefall. The same effect applies on the space shuttle.
Astronaunts in orbit are not truly weightless True or false?
True; they are not "weightless". Every object has mass, and mass generates gravity. So a person (who has mass) near the Earth (which has mass) will have a weight that is dependent on the sum of the masses divided by the square of the distance between them. So astronauts in orbit are being affected by the gravity of the Earth, which is close, and by the Sun, which is farther away but is far more massive. To some tiny extent, all of us are also affected by the gravities of the Moon and other planets such as Venus, Mars and Jupiter, and even by the other stars - and other galaxies. But those are so far away that the effect is entirely negligible. So why don't the astronauts FEEL the affects of gravity? Because they, and the ISS, are in "free fall"; they are falling toward the Earth. But because they are moving a bit over 18,000 miles per hour, the ISS and the astronauts keep MISSING the Earth! It's a delicate balance - falling AROUND the Earth, without ever hitting it.
