Astronauts "float" in the space shuttle because:

Question

a. they are weightless since the gravitational force on the astronauts is zero

b. there is no air in space to hold them down

c. the astronauts and shuttle are all falling with an acceleration so the normal force is zero

d. all of the above

Answer 1

Hello Robert!

Let's check each option

a) There is a gravitational force, due to a force field. It's not zero, Therefore FALSE

b) It's not the air that holds then down, it's a normal force by a solid surface, this is not the reason. So, FALSE

c) TRUE. It's like they are all falling, so the normal force is zero.

His may sound counter-intuitive, because if they are "falling" the suppose to hit the ground one time. But if they are in orbit, the centripetal acceleration is the gravity.

Imagine a cannon launching a ball horizontally, it will form a parabola and hit the ground. But imagine this cannon launching a ball further and further. There will be a distance that the earth own curvature won't let the ball hit the ground, it will start to move in an orbit. In very simple terms, this is how objects are put in orbit.

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