2006-10-19 13:11:33 · 4 answers · asked by Deedra J 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Whenever they go into orbit, generally between 200 and 240 miles up. They could orbit at 100 miles or 1000 miles and whenever they began circling, they would be weightless, they just happen to do so at around 200 miles.
You never really "escape" earth's gravity in the sense that our gravity extends forever, it just gets very very small. So if the shuttle were 300,000 miles away, it would feel a tiny tiny pull towards us.
2006-10-19 13:14:32 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, to really bend your axons they never really escape gravity. If the shuttle were to stop moving they would be pulled back towards the center of the earth.
The reason that they incounter weightlessness is the fact that they are essentially free falling. The shuttle is falling towards the earth but it is moving fast enough and the earth is also moving that the shuttle falls at the same rate that the earth's surface is curving away!
So, the astronauts are still in the gravitational field of the earth, but they encounter weightlessness because they are constantly falling towards the earth. Yet they never reach the earth because the earths surface is curving away at the same rate.
2006-10-19 20:20:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
As pointed out, no one ever "escapes" gravity. They are said to experience zero gravity when they are in free fall. Free fall means there are no net force on the ship other than gravity. Those forces would be air friction and/or engine thrust. Zero gravity, therefore, is experienced whenever they are above the atmosphere and the engines are off. Zero G can be achieved within the atmosphere (say, in a plane) if engine thrust is programmed to exactly offset air friction.
2006-10-19 20:57:07 · answer #3 · answered by Dr. R 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When they already had a suit
2006-10-19 20:13:52 · answer #4 · answered by Vocal Prowess 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋