Weightlessness
Weightlessness
As the space shuttle orbits the Earth, both the shuttle and the astronauts inside experience the same gravitational acceleration towards the Earth. This gives the sensation of weightlessness because everything inside the shuttle is falling towards Earth at the same rate, creating the feeling of floating.
They are falling ! As you see them on TV floating around in the shuttle (or outside it), they are falling towards the earth. So is the shuttle, at exactly the same acceleration, which is why they seem to hover in mid-air; they are moving exactly in time with the shuttle. In fact, shuttle and astronauts are both moving; pretty fast, too, around 18,000 mph. And that is the big secret as to why they don't crash to earth. They are falling towards the earth's surface, but the surface of the earth is curved. Because they are travelling around the earth, it's surface is receding from them, and it just happens to be moving away at the same rate as the shuttle (and contents) are falling towards it. This is called an orbit, and it doesn't really "just happen"; the engineers who program the launch vehicle take some trouble to get the final velocity just right to achieve the orbit that they want.
Space shuttle astronauts in orbit do not hit their heads on the ceiling because they are in a state of free fall, experiencing microgravity. In this condition, both the astronauts and the shuttle are falling towards Earth at the same rate, creating the sensation of weightlessness. As a result, they float inside the shuttle and are not subject to the forces that would normally cause them to collide with surfaces.
You would accelerate towards Earth at an initial rate of 9.8 m/s^2, which is the acceleration due to gravity near the Earth's surface. Your acceleration would decrease as you got closer to the Earth due to air resistance and terminal velocity being reached.
Weightlessness
As the space shuttle orbits the Earth, both the shuttle and the astronauts inside experience the same gravitational acceleration towards the Earth. This gives the sensation of weightlessness because everything inside the shuttle is falling towards Earth at the same rate, creating the feeling of floating.
They are falling ! As you see them on TV floating around in the shuttle (or outside it), they are falling towards the earth. So is the shuttle, at exactly the same acceleration, which is why they seem to hover in mid-air; they are moving exactly in time with the shuttle. In fact, shuttle and astronauts are both moving; pretty fast, too, around 18,000 mph. And that is the big secret as to why they don't crash to earth. They are falling towards the earth's surface, but the surface of the earth is curved. Because they are travelling around the earth, it's surface is receding from them, and it just happens to be moving away at the same rate as the shuttle (and contents) are falling towards it. This is called an orbit, and it doesn't really "just happen"; the engineers who program the launch vehicle take some trouble to get the final velocity just right to achieve the orbit that they want.
Gravity and acceleration are related in that gravity is the force that causes objects to accelerate towards the Earth. This acceleration due to gravity is constant at 9.8 m/s2 near the Earth's surface. In other words, gravity is what causes objects to fall towards the ground, resulting in an acceleration towards the Earth.
Gravity is a force that causes objects with mass to be attracted to each other. It is not an acceleration itself, but it does cause objects to accelerate towards each other.
Yes, gravity is considered an acceleration because it causes objects to accelerate towards the Earth at a rate of 9.8 meters per second squared.
Space shuttle astronauts in orbit do not hit their heads on the ceiling because they are in a state of free fall, experiencing microgravity. In this condition, both the astronauts and the shuttle are falling towards Earth at the same rate, creating the sensation of weightlessness. As a result, they float inside the shuttle and are not subject to the forces that would normally cause them to collide with surfaces.
Objects traveling in a circular path accelerate towards the center of the circle due to centripetal acceleration. This acceleration is needed to keep the object moving in a curved path.
You would accelerate towards Earth at an initial rate of 9.8 m/s^2, which is the acceleration due to gravity near the Earth's surface. Your acceleration would decrease as you got closer to the Earth due to air resistance and terminal velocity being reached.
Gravity affects the acceleration of objects by pulling them towards the center of the Earth. This force of gravity causes objects to accelerate towards the ground at a rate of 9.8 meters per second squared, regardless of their mass.
In rotational motion, angular acceleration and centripetal acceleration are related. Angular acceleration is the rate at which an object's angular velocity changes, while centripetal acceleration is the acceleration directed towards the center of rotation. In rotational motion, centripetal acceleration is caused by angular acceleration, as the change in angular velocity results in a change in direction, causing the object to accelerate towards the center of rotation.
Acceleration due to gravity is the rate at which an object falls towards the Earth due to gravity. On Earth, the acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s^2. This means that an object in free fall will accelerate at this rate towards the Earth.