why astronauts experience weightlessness in orbit and how to provide artifical gravity in space?

Answer 1

Yes, there is gravity in space. And yes, it is enough for things to have weight (not as much weight as they would on Earth, but still).
The reason for weightlesness in orbit is the same as that for a falling elevator. The spacecraft, and everything in it is in the costant state of free fall to the Earth.
Unlike the elevator though, it has a tangetial (perpendicular to the gravitational pull) component to it's speed, high enough, to never actuall fall down, but go around.
As to the second part of your question, the way to provide "artifitial gravity" would be to make the spacecraft move with a constant acceleration, or spin around an axis - the inertia would manifest itself the same exact way gravity does. The only problem is, it would take way too much fuel to sustain the constant acceleration.

Answer 2

Weightlessness is caused by the orbit the astronauts are in. The centrifugal force that results from the orbit acts against gravity. In orbit, these forces are balanced, and therefore the astronauts feel "weightless". Mind you, this does not mean they have no mass, it simply means that they are affected by a kind of force tug-of-war and they are at the center of the rope.

There are many theories in creating artificial gravity. Including using rotation to simulate gravity. But we have no need to create it right now, and probably won't anytime in the near future.

Answer 3

An object in orbit around the earth is not weightless, it is in free fall. Think of it this way, the object is subject to the earth's gravitational field an is continually accelerating towards the center of the earth. The acceleration is at right angles to the direction of travel so, although the object is continually falling towards the earth, it is also going so fast that it continually misses the earth.

An astronaut in a space ship is orbiting at the same speed, and subject to the same acceleration, as the space ship and therefore appears to be floating and weightless.

Answer 4

Weightlessness means that the "floor" isn't pressing against you. On Earth, the enormous mass of the earth pulls us against the rigid surface (or a building attached to it.

In a low orbit, the gravity is almost as strong, but the craft you are in is moving at the same speed as you, so you aren't pressed against any surface.

You could spin a space craft and you would feel acceleration away from the center, "centrifugal force", that could simulate gravity.

Answer 5

we ought to continually no longer confuse gravity and weight. Gravity is the "stress" that attracts 1000's at the same time. you've mass, the Earth has mass (so a lot extra). for this reason gravity attracts you in the route of Earth. Any mass subjected to a stress, ought to boost up (Newton's regulation). We sense Earth's gravity yet we do not boost up. because there's a stress that pushes us any opposite direction (the floor pushing again up hostile to our ft). it somewhat is "weight". if you're status in an elevator and the cable breaks, the floor will no longer be pushing up hostile on your ft, because the floor is accelerating (as a results of gravity) on an identical cost as you. you'd be weightless (till the elevator crashes contained in the basement). (In genuine elevators, there's a secure practices gadget to stay away from that -- the gadget, invented through Mr. Otis, is depending on the actual shown reality that an merchandise in loose fall has no weight) on the gap station's altitude (round 400 km above Earth's floor) there remains a lot of gravity -- 88% of what we've on the exterior. If there have been no gravity, the gap station would flow far off from Earth -- there will be no longer something to shop it in orbit. This gravity pulls the gap station down and the station's sideways speed (orbital speed = 7.5 km/s = 16,800 mph) keeps it from hitting the floor. it really is perpetually "falling" round Earth. The astronauts interior are also attracted through Earth's gravity and they too are falling round. on an identical cost. for this reason, there is no longer something pushing hostile to them (no longer the floor, no longer the walls, no longer the ceiling). No push again = no weight. at the same time as the station is repositioned, they use a rocket connected to the station. The rocket pushes the station, the station pushes on each little thing interior, inclusive of the astronauts. at the same time as the rocket is firing, the astronauts do sense a push (in the different case they would not flow with the station). throughout the time of those seconds, they do sense weight. end the rocket... weightless again.

Answer 6

Actually, there is gravity in space, just not enough to have the same effect as is does on Earth. The other reason that shuttle astronauts float is because they are in essence "falling" around the Earth. If you were inside a box that was falling from a great height, you would be falling to Earth, but floating within the box. The closest thing we can experience on the planet's surface is to ride in an elevator. When the elevator is coming down, your weight on a scale would read less than if it were stopped or going up. (Remember that your weight is essentially a measure of gravity's effect on your mass.)

Answer 7

Gravity is a "weak" force that is caused by mass. astronauts are beyond the gravitational field of the earth's mass and therefore are weightless.
The only way to produce gravity in space is to spin the spacecraft so centrifugal force acts much the same way gravity would. The force produced is limited by the mass of the ship and rate of spin.

Answer 8

there isnt any gravity in space. its not possible to hold yourself down without gravity. thats one of newtons laws or one of them. ask your science teacher