how can astronauts do space walk to fix something with the vehicles travelling at 200miles per hr?

Answer 1

Lots of wrong answers here, and lots of complete incomprehension. The space shuttle, docked with the ISS are in orbit moving at about 17,000 mph in respect to the earth's surface.

That is not "escape velocity." EV is about 7 miles per second, or 25,000 mph, and defines the velocity at which a projectile would have to be shot from the earth' surface to escape gravity so that it would not return. Orbital vehicles do not have to reach escape velocity.

Okay, now that we know we are talking about 17,000 mph and not 200 mph, next we have to know this is not relativistic. It all happens within the same inertial reference frame.

It's possible to move around among the space vehicles in an environment suit simply because everything is going the same speed. Just as an airshow "daredevil" can step from one airplane to another when they are both going 130 mph, an astronaut can float around the space shuttle at 17,000 mph because he or she is also going the same speed.

Of course there is no air to "blow you away."

It isn't necessary to be this out of touch. I was in the 7th grade when Sputnik was launched. My classmates and I understood all these things clearly. Why were we paying better attention in the classroom in 1957 than people are now? Is there a political dimension to this?

Answer 2

Because the astronauts are also traveling at that speed and there is no air to provide resistance. Therefore relative to the vehicle they are not moving until they propel themselves in a different direction than the vehicle.

Answer 3

The astronauts and the vehicle are moving at the same speed. Just like you can walk about in a plane flying at 500kph

Answer 4

The same way that you manage to walk down the aisle and go for a pee when you're travelling on an aeroplane doing 400 miles per hour.

Answer 5

I think you will find that they are travelling much much faster than that, more like thousands of miles an hour. Its all relative, the astronauts are tethered to the craft so are travelling at the same speed, and there is no air resistance for them to push against. They do have to contend with Newtons laws of motion, so if they push against something an equal and opposite force will react on them which is why they have to secure themselves before they do any work.

Answer 6

OOOOPS.....Error.

Those space ships, shuttles, and the ISS are traveling at FAR MORE than 200 Miles Per Hour. They left the Earth's surface and moved off into space because they were traveling at "Escape Velocity" which is in the area of 17,000 to 20,000 Miles Per Hour. Once in Space, there is no air friction to slow them down, so they continue moving at that speed...were they to slow down, Earth's Gravity would pull them back down to the surface of the Earth.

Moving at that high velocity, they are in a balance with the pull of Gravity. Gravity pulls one way and their speed pulls the other way...so it is kind of like a tug of war with the rope not moving one way or the other.

Answer 7

How does a fly inside your car as your going down the highway at 70mph fly from the front to the back? A fly cannot fly at 70mph? It is all due to relativity and frames of reference. In the case of the fly its frame of reference is the space inside your vehicle. Now, open the window and blend into the outside frame of reference and the fly gets blown off course in a severe manner.
Relative to the object they're working on, they are not moving at all. Inside their frame of reference both themselves and the object are stationary. Relative to the frame of reference of someone on the ground the astronaut's frame is moving along at 17,000+ mph in orbit. In your frame of reference on the ground you may be in a stationary position on the ground. To someone away from earth's gravity well, you're moving along with the earth surface as it spins on its axis [which at the equator is about 1,000mph] and have to take into account the earth moving through space along its orbital path around the Sun, which itself is moving relative to ...well you get the idea.
It's all relative to a particular frame of reference.

Answer 8

Simply because they are also travelling at that speed unless they can produce additional momentum, e.g. use a jet pack or push themselves off the side of their ship. Those of us living on the surface of this planet are travelling at 24.000 miles mph right now.

Answer 9

the vehicles aren't travelling at 200 mph to the astronauts - thats how we view it from earth - but its not relevant to them up there

Answer 10

because they're also travelling at the same speed, and more importantly, not accelarating, which makes them motionless relative to the spacecraft. No friction or "wind" to interfere.