What physical state results from the ISS constantly falling towards Earth while moving fast enough to miss it?
Answer
Continuous freefall
The sensation of weightlessness experienced by astronauts onboard the ISS is not due to the absence of gravity, but rather the constant state of freefall. The station, along with everything inside it—including the crew, equipment, and air—is accelerating toward Earth at the same rate due to gravity. Because the station is also moving horizontally at high speed (7.66 km/s), it continuously misses the planet, resulting in what is technically described as microgravity or continuous freefall, rather than a true lack of gravitational influence.
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