This is because they are slightly away from the pull of the Earth's gravity - but not entirely. They, and the space station, are constantly falling towards the Earth, but everything keeps turning below them, preventing them from ever getting there. You can read more about this in the Web Links to the left.
Its because they are weightless and really are floating. There is no gravity on the space station.
*There is Gravity on the space station! This common misconception is shared by most people. The above response that says objects in Earth orbit are constantly 'falling' is true. Gravity is almost the same on the surface of the Earth as it is a few hundred kilometers up where satellites and the space station orbits.
The reason why astronauts appear to float is that they, and the space station they inhabit, have such a large horizontal velocity with respect to the surface of the earth, the vertical velocity that comes from gravity pulling them back to the surface is strong enough just to 'bend' the resultant velocity's direction in a continually curving path that follows the curvature of the planet itself. The astronauts are constantly 'falling around' the planet.
Astronauts appear to be floating inside a spaceship because they are in a state of free fall, often referred to as microgravity. The spaceship is orbiting the Earth, and both the spacecraft and the astronauts inside are falling towards the planet at the same rate. This creates the sensation of weightlessness, allowing them to float freely within the cabin.
The astronauts can float in the
Because of free fall, astronauts in orbit appear weightless and float within their spacecraft. This is due to the spacecraft and everything inside it, including the astronauts, all falling towards Earth together at the same rate. The sensation of weightlessness is a result of this continuous state of free fall.
Astronauts appear to float when they walk on the Moon because the Moon has lower gravity than Earth. Their weight is much lesser, making their movements more buoyant and effortless. This creates the illusion of floating as they take steps and navigate the lunar surface.
The astronauts can float in the
They are essentially in a state of permanent free-fall. Their ship is falling to earth at the same rate as the curve of the earth is falling away form them; ergo continually falling. It has nothing to do anything 'anti-gravity'.
In orbit, astronauts appear weightless and float because they are in a state of constant freefall towards Earth. Due to the lack of air resistance and the gravitational pull being the only force acting on them, they experience the sensation of weightlessness.
Astronauts sleep in sleeping bags that are tethered to the walls so they don't float around in microgravity. They can sleep in any orientation - standing, sitting, or floating. They also wear eye shades and earplugs to help them get quality rest despite the constant lighting and noise in the space station.
Lack of gravity.
Because of the gravity of the
Astronauts have to attach themselves to something because they will float around in the spacecraft if they do not.
Because there is zero gravity in space