Why do the passengers in high-altitude jet planes feel the sensation of weight while passengers in the International Space Station do not?
Why do the passengers in high-altitude jet planes feel the sensation of weight while passengers in the International Space Station do not?
Passengers in high-altitude jet planes feel the sensation of weight because they are still within the Earth's gravitational field. Even though they are at a higher altitude, the force of gravity is still acting upon them, creating the sensation of weight. However, passengers in the International Space Station (ISS) do not feel the sensation of weight due to their constant state of freefall.
To understand this further, we need to consider the concept of weight and gravity. Weight is the force with which a mass is attracted towards the center of the Earth due to gravity. In order to feel weight, there needs to be a surface supporting the person, exerting an equal and opposite force.
When you are in a high-altitude jet plane, despite being at a higher altitude, you are still within the Earth's atmosphere, and the plane's engines are counteracting the force of gravity by generating lift. This lift provides an upward force that helps support the weight of the plane and its occupants, making them feel the sensation of weight.
On the other hand, in the International Space Station, astronauts are in a constant state of freefall as they orbit the Earth. The ISS is traveling at a high speed such that it is constantly falling towards the Earth but also continually missing it, due to its forward motion. As a result, the occupants of the space station effectively experience weightlessness because they are freely falling alongside the space station. They feel as if they are floating because there is no supporting surface to exert an equal and opposite force, cancelling out the sensation of weight.
In summary, the difference in sensation between passengers in high-altitude jet planes and those in the International Space Station is due to the presence or absence of a supporting surface exerting a force to counteract the weight resulting from gravity.