Why do astronauts aboard the International Space Station experience apparent weightlessness, even though Earth’s gravity is still acting on them?

Explanation

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station experience apparent weightlessness not because gravity is absent, since Earth’s gravity at that altitude is still quite strong, but because the station and everything inside it are continuously falling around Earth in a stable orbit, a state known as continuous free fall. Since the astronauts and the station are falling at exactly the same rate, the astronauts don’t feel the floor pushing up against them the way they would while standing on solid ground, creating the sensation of floating weightlessness. This is fundamentally the same experience felt briefly during a fast-falling elevator or amusement park drop ride, just sustained continuously due to the station’s stable orbital motion. Explore more Everyday Science MCQs on mcqstutor to keep practicing.