How does the space station track itself around the earth? Is it the natural path of gravity or powered.?

Answer 1

The Earth's gravitational pull keeps the space station in orbit around the Earth, the same way it keeps the Moon in orbit.

Answer 2

The space station is primarily controlled by gravity. As with any object orbiting another, the space station is literally falling around the Earth. The only real control over the stations path is used for regular "reboosts" to make sure that the station doesn't fall back to Earth. Any other alterations to the orbit would be ridiculously expensive in terms of fuel.

Answer 3

The space station, and indeed all active man-made satellites of the Earth, stay "on track" through a combination of gravity and small corrective rocket thrusts. Mainly, their motion is determined by gravity---they're just in a natural orbit, and without any powered rocket thrusts they would stay in orbit for years. The small rocket thrusts are used to make small corrections in the orbits and attitude, to keep the satellites where they're supposed to be, and oriented the way they're supposed to be. The orientation of satellites can also be controlled using gyroscopes and magnets that "grab on" to the magnetic field of the Earth. At the end of the useful life of a satellite, it is given a final thrust that sends it into the atmosphere to burn up. Otherwise, the orbits around the Earth would fill up with old satellites, which would eventually break up and create dangerous debris.

Answer 4

The only time it uses power it to kick itself out of orbit to return to earth.

When the astronauts are spacewalking, you may notice that they float along at the same speed as the shuttle. If the shuttle were powered, the astronauts would also need to be powered or else they would end up dangling at the end of their tethers. That this doesn't happen is an illustration that everything is traveling at a constant speed strictly by inertia.

Answer 5

It is a natural path of gravity and not powered.