2007-04-20 02:02:42 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
I know!!! What are they, blind or something?!?!
Houston, we have no clue!!!!
2007-04-20 02:09:58 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Because most of them are going around it much faster than it spins. Orbital velocity is 17,500mph, while the surface of the Earth only moves at about 1000mph at the equator. They will certainly notice that the terminator has moved when they complete an orbit, but watching it as it creeps along is rather hard to do.
For the Apollo astronauts who went to the Moon and therefore saw the Earth from a far greater distance, it was simply rotating too slowly to be observed spinning. It goes round once in 24 hours, which makes for a turning rate of about 15 degrees per hour. That means it would take about three hours for the terminator to move from the east coast of the USA to the west coast.
The Earth's rotation can be captured on film, but only as a timelaspe sequence, as was recently captured by the Messenger probe as it flew past.
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/the_mission/flyby_movie.html
2007-04-20 09:11:36 · answer #2 · answered by Jason T 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Astronauts are not in a frame of reference independent from the earth. The earth also spins too slowly for the rotation to be very noticeable (1 rotation every 24 hours).
2007-04-20 09:07:42 · answer #3 · answered by Lo 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They do see the earth spinning. It just spins slowly, once per day, so what they see is a slowly moving earth. If they wait a day, they will see both sides of the earth. This assumes that they are not in a geosynchronous orbit, but that is the answer to another question.
2007-04-20 09:08:01 · answer #4 · answered by DanE 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They do but they are also moving, usually much faster than the earth is spinning and the movement is hard to distinguish.
Another possibility is they can archive a geosynchronous orbit is which case they are moving at the same rate as the earth is rotating.
2007-04-20 09:33:48 · answer #5 · answered by Brian K² 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They do see it spin but it all depends on the type of orbit they are in. For example if an astronaut is in geostationary orbit then in this orbit they would orbit same rate as the Earth's spin.
2007-04-20 09:09:58 · answer #6 · answered by M Series 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They (astronauts) are within the magnetic domain of the Earth. In all likely hood they are in synchronization. To view the spin they must be within the next sine. The Sun is the strongest emitter of the sine and although the Earth emits its' own it can not prevail.
2007-04-20 09:15:50 · answer #7 · answered by blueridgemotors 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Because they are spinning around the earth themselves, in ORBIT. They do not stay in one position relative to any place on earth.
If they were in a geostationary orbit like GPS positioning satellites are, located 24,000 km away from the earth, they WOULD see the earth turning.
2007-04-20 09:08:14 · answer #8 · answered by fiddlesticks9 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
because the earth is spinning very slow
2007-04-20 09:18:34 · answer #9 · answered by joysam 【ツ】 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Since they orbit in about an hour and a half, it's difficult to differentiate between your motion and the earth's.
2007-04-20 09:05:53 · answer #10 · answered by Gene 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
cause they are too drunk on the vodka they get from the russians. Everything is spinning so they don't notice the earth!
2007-04-20 09:14:10 · answer #11 · answered by Adam S 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋