Why do the passengers in high-altitude jet planes feel the sensation of weight while passengers in the International Space Station do not?
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In order to understand why passengers in high-altitude jet planes feel a sensation of weight while passengers in the International Space Station (ISS) do not, we need to consider the fundamental concepts of gravity and freefall.
Gravity is the force that attracts objects with mass towards each other. On Earth, the force of gravity pulls everything towards the center of the planet. Consequently, when you are standing on the ground, you can feel the force of gravity acting on your body. This feeling of weight is the result of the resistance your body encounters when it opposes gravity.
Now, let's consider high-altitude jet planes. Despite flying at high altitudes, these planes are still within the Earth's atmosphere. They stay airborne due to the lift generated by their wings. The engines provide thrust to overcome any drag and create enough lift to maintain a stable flight.
While these planes have reached high altitudes, they are not in space. They are still within the Earth's gravitational field. Therefore, passengers on board these planes continue to experience the force of gravity, similar to when they are on the ground. The sensation of weight in high-altitude planes is due to the aircraft's continual interaction with the atmosphere and the resultant forces acting on its structure and the passengers.
On the other hand, passengers in the ISS experience a different phenomenon altogether. The ISS orbits around the Earth in low Earth orbit, approximately 400 kilometers above the planet's surface. Although it is relatively close to Earth, it remains in a state of perpetual freefall.
Freefall refers to the condition in which an object falls under the sole influence of gravity, with no other forces acting on it (such as air resistance or lift). The ISS is constantly falling towards the Earth. However, it is also moving horizontally at such a high speed that, as it falls, it maintains a curved trajectory that matches the curvature of the Earth.
In this state of freefall, the ISS and everything inside it, including the astronauts, are effectively weightless. Without a solid surface to push against, there is no resistance from the force of gravity, and passengers or objects inside the ISS experience a sensation of weightlessness.
To summarize, passengers in high-altitude jet planes feel the sensation of weight because they are still within the Earth's atmosphere and subject to the force of gravity. Passengers in the ISS, on the other hand, do not feel weight because they are in a state of perpetual freefall, where there is no resistance from gravity.