if there is no gravity in space, how do the satellites stay in place?

Question

when astranauts go into space the satellites are in place. why didn't they float off somewhere?

Answer 1

There is gravity everywhere! It is just weaker than here on Earth... in most places of space. Have you heard of orbits? It's when an object's speed and gravity combine to create a circular path around a object. A satellite's definition means "object orbiting another object".

Answer 2

You have, unfortunately, been fooled by the common misconception that says that there is no gravity in space. This is not true. In fact, the difference between the earth's gravitational pull at the altitude at which space shuttles orbit (the altitude at which people appear to float around in the space shuttle) and the surface of the earth is very small. People in the space shuttle don't float around because there's no gravity; they float for the same reason that you'd seem to float if you were trapped in an elevator that was free-falling through a building. You and the elevator are falling at the same rate, so you feel like you're floating within it.

Similarly, the space shuttle and the people within it are constantly "falling" towards the surface of the earth, but their speed is such that, rather than impact the earth, they circle around it in orbit. If they went any slower they'd impact the earth; any faster and they'd escape earth's gravity and sail off into space.

Answer 3

If the satellite moved any slower it would fall toward earth and if it moved any faster it would fly off into space. The satellite is moving in a orbit at a speed and elevation where the mutual gravitational attraction of the earth and satellite are exactly balanced to avoid the satellite falling or flying off into space. From inside the satellite an astronaut would feel like he/she is in free fall (like a runaway elevator) and is weightless.

Answer 4

OK, so imagine you throw something very quickly, like a baseball, and you throw it straight forward. It will hit ground much later than if you just dropped the baseball. Now, consider that Earth is round. What if you hit the baseball so hard that it's always "falling" but it never hits ground (because earth is round)? Well, that's how satellites work! And yes, there is gravity in space; it just gets weaker, like a light from a flashlight pointed at a wall; the further away from the wall it is, the dimmer the light it shines onto a given square inch of that wall.

Answer 5

For revolving round the earth the satellite is provided the necessary centripetal force .Gravitational force of attraction on the satellite provides the necessary centripetal force. Since gravitational force of attraction or weight of the satellite is used in providing necessary centripetal force, satellite revolve around the earth, without falling over it.

Centripetal force is the force required to make a body move along circular path with uniform speed.

Answer 6

there is gravity in area. everytime you spot those astronauts in orbit, they are not floating. they are falling. The deliver is in orbital velocity, meaning that's flying faraway from the earth on the acceptable velocity that the earth is shifting and dragging it in. What outcomes is weightlessness. The moons are doing the comparable element with the planets. The planets are doing the comparable element with the solar. Having each thing going at orbital velocity isn't something wanting a miracle. somewhat diverse and we could desire to the two injury unfastened from or collide with the solar.

Answer 7

cause space is a vaccum the space ship is falling but the astronauts are falling at the same rate, so this gives them the image to be floating

Answer 8

there is, by the earth, it goes up so high that the speed for orbit keeps reducing until it goes the speed of the earth's rotation.


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Answer 9

They are constently falling AROUND the Earth, but just keep missing it.

That is what an Orbit actually is.
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Answer 10

there is either a small amount of gravity or they are within the Earth's gravitational pull