How do astronauts learn how to deal with weightlessness?

Question

I have been asked to settle an argument as to how astronauts experience weightlessness. One says that there is a special building at NASA and the other says they learn by going in plane that reaches great hights and then dives so they then can experience the weightlessness

Answer 1

[Edit] I'm editing this whole thing, and hopefully people read it, because many of them are confused on the purposes of these machines.


Weightlessness they train for in the Vomit Comet. It flies up really high, and then nose-dives for a minute or two. While it is falling, you are in freefall, but with no wind resistance. This is exactly what it feels like to be in space, because when you orbit the earth, you are in freefall indefinitely, but your velocity and the force of gravity cancel, and prevent you from entering the atmosphere. Here they practice doing things they'd need to do in a shuttle. You can also pay to get on one of these yourself, but I think the cost is pretty steep.

The centrifuge is a spinning machine. You sit in a chair and they spin you around really really fast so you stick to the outside wall due to centripetal force. This is not for weightlessness, in fact it produces the exact opposite effect, and you are experiencing many times the normal force of gravity. This is to see if their bodies can handle it without passing out, and it is training for the actual takeoff, where the forces you experience due to all the rockets are many times the force of gravity.


The pools are mostly training for outer-shuttle work. They go underwater in specially designed SCUBA suits. They need to practice moving around in the gigantic space suits to do work outside the shuttle, but this does not provide a truly weightless experience, although it is close.



[Edit] This whole answer has been edited.

Answer 2

Well, both.

There's a special plane - a C135 - that's called the "vomit comet." It climbs sharply, then follows a parabolic arc 'falling down," then does it again. Each arc lasts about 30-40 seconds, and they can do 100-150 per flight.

In Huntsville, they have a huge clear water pool, where astonauts learn how to 'float' in space - they go down in specially weighted space suits, and - even though gravity is still acting on their bodies - they'll 'float' while working on a mock space station or shuttle, to teach them what their actions will do in space.

At Dryden & at the Cape, they had (I don't think they use it anymore) the grav-wall, where you basically laid almost sideways while hangiing from the ceiling, and then they brought a "moon walk surface" to you - it was tilted about 12 degrees from straight up, and that gave you the idea of how much weight you'd be supporting on the moon.

Answer 3

It is a plane called the Vomit Comet , The plane climbs high in the air and when it has gone as far as it can go then it tops out and it kind of stalls and starts to drop like a rock and in the few seconds in between topping out and dropping like a rock a state of weightlessness is achieved and then they practice at being weightless !

If you have ever rode a roller coaster (or one of those rides that shoot you up in the air )and held your hands up in the air at some point you defied gravity and became weightless for a fraction of a second or two............

Answer 4

There is a special building at NASA with zero gravity for learning to live in weightlessness.

Answer 5

You're both right.

There is an airplane that goes way up and then drops almost straight down, creating weightlessness.

They also do different things in buildings. There is a chair they are strapped into and spun around in a circle. They also practice in their space suits in a swimming pool. That is for learning to do things outside the space shuttle in space.

You both deserve a cookie!!

Answer 6

They go to this special building. Inside the building the astronauts are trained in 'g machines' and swimming pools to get a feel of the pressure.

Answer 7

i know they also have a special swimming pool to expierence something close to weightlessness underwater. it helps them learn how to move around because for every little movement they make it might send them drifting off in a complete opposite direction :-p

Answer 8

Thats a scientific question and i'm no scientist but I think they have to do some astronautical training.

Answer 9

At NASA, there is a great machine that simulates weightlessness. It spins very quickly.
Good luck and may God bless you.

Answer 10

It's a plane called the Vomit Comet.