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.
This is known as free fall or microgravity. In this state, astronauts and objects inside the shuttle experience a sensation of weightlessness because they are falling at the same rate as the shuttle around the Earth, creating the illusion of being in a state of weightlessness.
Around 4
17,500 miles per hour puts the shuttle in orbit. BUT the gravity is still there. I'm fact there is about 90% of the gravity while the shuttle is on the ground. That great rate of speed is required to keep the shuttle from falling back to earth. At that speed the shuttle is basically falling around the planet.
Yes, gravity still affects astronauts inside a space shuttle because the shuttle and everything inside it are in orbit around the Earth, so they experience microgravity. However, the sensation of weightlessness occurs because the shuttle is in freefall towards Earth at the same rate as the astronauts, creating the feeling of weightlessness.
Astronauts reach space by launching in a spacecraft, such as a rocket or space shuttle, that is designed to overcome Earth's gravity. Once in space, the spacecraft continues its journey to enter orbit around the Earth or travel to other celestial bodies like the Moon or Mars.
It's called micro gravity but basically yes. They are just falling around the planet.
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.
This is known as free fall or microgravity. In this state, astronauts and objects inside the shuttle experience a sensation of weightlessness because they are falling at the same rate as the shuttle around the Earth, creating the illusion of being in a state of weightlessness.
Around 4
they are falling through space around earth
You may have seen photos or videos of astronauts who appear to be floating through the air while in space. They aren't flying, nor are they really floating, they are falling. Any orbiting spacecraft (such as the space shuttle or international space station) is actually falling around the Earth in a circular pattern. They have achieved enough speed (over 17,000 mph) to continue moving around the Earth without the Earth's gravity pulling the spacecraft down. Astronauts aboard those spacecraft are moving inside the spacecraft and falling along with them at the same speed giving the appearance that they flying or floating inside.
17,500 miles per hour puts the shuttle in orbit. BUT the gravity is still there. I'm fact there is about 90% of the gravity while the shuttle is on the ground. That great rate of speed is required to keep the shuttle from falling back to earth. At that speed the shuttle is basically falling around the planet.
Yes, gravity still affects astronauts inside a space shuttle because the shuttle and everything inside it are in orbit around the Earth, so they experience microgravity. However, the sensation of weightlessness occurs because the shuttle is in freefall towards Earth at the same rate as the astronauts, creating the feeling of weightlessness.
Astronauts reach space by launching in a spacecraft, such as a rocket or space shuttle, that is designed to overcome Earth's gravity. Once in space, the spacecraft continues its journey to enter orbit around the Earth or travel to other celestial bodies like the Moon or Mars.
Astronauts in orbit around Earth experience microgravity, which gives the sensation of weightlessness. This occurs because they are in constant freefall towards Earth, but moving sideways fast enough that they continually miss the planet. This creates the feeling of weightlessness as they are essentially falling with the spacecraft.
By packing a lot of food, water, and fuel? And sometimes just to float around to save fuel.
Astronauts in a Space Shuttle appear weightless because they are in a state of free fall towards Earth. While they are indeed under the influence of Earth's gravity, they are moving forward at a high enough speed that they continuously fall around the planet, creating the sensation of weightlessness.