It learn a genius like Issac Newton to invent the laws of motion because friction , air resistance , and other force on Earth complicate things so much that it ’s hard to see the underlying force . In space , however , much of this is denude away , and we can see physical science in a naked form , such as a body in motion remains in motion unless act on by a strength . The European Space Agency ( ESA ) has allow for a great example of this with footage of astronauts inside the International Space Station ( ISS ) during a reboost .
Rather than stopping abruptly , the Earth ’s air gradually sire thinner the higher you go . Even at the ISS ’s height of 400 kilometre ( 240 miles ) , there is still a timid retarding force , which do the orbit to slow disintegrate . Consequently , every now and then the ISS needs a boost , in this compositor’s case , provide by a resupplying cargo craft firing its pusher for a few moment to push the post to right ALT . The astronauts – and anything else not tie down – are n’t equip with garden rocket of their own , so as the space station moves around them , they continue on their cranial orbit .
To a camera mend in the ISS ’s skeleton of point of reference , however , it depend like this ( the footage has been sped up x 8 , according to ESA ):
understandably , the process of receive the place speed up past you is so much sport the astronauts are bang-up to promote off at the irregular bottom to go through the whole thing again , likepandas on a microscope slide . We ’re not sure why the ESA sped the whole thing up eight fourth dimension – personally , we ’d be felicitous to determine a four - minute video at actual hurrying .
For comparison , astronaut on the Moon experience 0.17 g. Even on Ceres graveness is 0.03 g. To reduplicate this feeling of almost , but not quite , lightness on an extended base you would need to impose a small moon or the asteroid - corresponding Martian moonsPhobosandDeimos . Alternatively , we might get the experience on the mode there , if future Mars missionary post chooseion thrustersover prompt - fire rocket .
