What term describes the constant state of near-collision the ISS experiences relative to the ground?
Answer
Free fall
The physics governing the ISS orbit dictate that the station is perpetually in a state described as free fall relative to the ground below. This concept arises because although the station is subject to gravity, its massive horizontal momentum causes it to continuously miss the Earth as it falls around it. It is a continuous process of falling and curving. If the station were to stop moving sideways, gravity would immediately pull it downward, demonstrating that gravity is actively present and necessary for maintaining the curved orbital path, rather than being absent.
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