Do Astronauts Feel Gravity?
Classical Mechanics
Level
2
Astronauts in the space station are commonly seen floating around, they appear to be weightless. Why are they weightless?
They are in orbit.
In outer-space, everything floats.
Too far away from the earth to be affected by gravity
They are not really floating.
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When an object is in orbit, the gravitational pull on the object is equal to the centripetal force needed to keep the object moving in its circular path; therefore there will be no normal force acting on the object, hence the feeling of weightlessness.