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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-orbit-is-free-fall

Why do astronauts float while orbiting Earth?

They and their spacecraft are continuously falling together.

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  1. Earth's gravity is gone
  2. Air holds them up
  3. They are in continuous free fall ✔

Why: Gravity still pulls on an orbiting spacecraft. Its sideways speed makes it keep falling around Earth, and everything inside falls with it.

Huh, didn't know that: This shared free fall creates the experience called microgravity.

The dad joke
Astronauts keep falling for Earth, but they always miss the ground.
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References

Answer: They are in continuous free fall. Gravity still pulls on an orbiting spacecraft. Its sideways speed makes it keep falling around Earth, and everything inside falls with it.

  1. Aerospace Dimensions Module 5, Space Environment akwg.cap.gov/media/cms/Module_5__Space_Environment_C640727DEF762_83c5b.pdf
    they are constantly falling around the Earth as they orbit in a state of free fall
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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