then why not apply velcro to floor of space station and shoes of astronauts so they can walk and have a sense?

Answer 1

A sense of what?

Why walk when you can fly anyway!

Id love to go into space. If I could the last thing I would want to do would be to velcro myself to a bulkhead.

Answer 2

...of gravity, you mean?

Having a velcro interior would not give the same sense of gravity as exists here on Earth. Imagine the difference between walking around on Earth on a velcro carpet, and walking around on Earth on a velcro ceiling. You stick to the surface either way, but that doesn't prevent you from feeling horribly disoriented on the ceiling. The same thing is true in orbiting weightless environments; you might be stuck to the side of the space station, but you'll still feel weightless, sort of like if you were underwater and stuck to the side of a swimming pool by your feet.

However, that's all merely a refutation of the argument FOR velcro. There is also the aspect of the argument AGAINST velcro. There are several points to be made against using velcro this way:
1. It costs a lot to lift stuff into space, so every gram of velcro material is costing an extra $10 or whatever lifting a gram of material into orbit costs these days. Carpeting the whole interior of the space station could quickly run into money.
2. Most space vehicles and habitats, including the International Space Station, are cramped enough already. Adding an extra 5 to 10 millimeters of carpet to every free surface makes it that much smaller.
3. It might be hard to launch yourself free from the velcro when you want to float from one part of a room to the other; trying to pull one foot free by pushing with the other foot would merely get the other foot stuck again.
4. Even when you did manage to get yourself free from the velcro, you would likely have less control over your speed than you would pushing off from a non-adhesive surface, which could result in inefficiency at best and damaged equipment and crew injuries at worst.
5. The fuzzy velcro surface might tend to collect static electricity, which could pose a hazard to sensitive electronic equipment.
6. The velcro might also be a fire hazard, as it can catch on fire much more easily than a metal surface.
7. The velcro would be much harder to clean off than a flat plastic or metal surface, so it would have a much higher tendency to get dirty, stay dirty, and end up breeding undesirable bacteria and/or making the space station interior smell bad.

So all in all, it doesn't sound like a very good idea for the time being.

Answer 3

Velcro In Space

Answer 4

Because it is easier and more fun to fly than walk! And they have bars, kind of like towel racks, on all the surfaces where the astronauts might want to "stand" so they can hook their feet under them to stay in place. They make good hand holds too. The sources are pictures from the station. The dark blue bars can be seen on the floor and ceiling and walls too. And notice the labels saying DECK and OVHD (overhead) at the hatch. That is because in weightless conditions there is no true up or down.

Answer 5

Velcro is used to hold the astronauts still while they sleep.

Answer 6

The Space Station is constantly in motion. If you were stuck to one spot then you would be upside down half the time.

When in space there really isnt a need for up or down. You need to think in broader terms.

Answer 7

COOOL :)