•Why are astronauts in
the Space Shuttle weightless?
•
•1) The extra inertial
of the Shuttle just compensates for the extra gravitational pull on it, so it
falls at the same rate as the astronauts.
•2) The Shuttle is sufficiently high in its
orbit that the Earth’s gravitational pull is negligible.
•3) The Shuttle’s
engines keep it on a path that matches the Earth’s curve, and there
is no air resistance.