Why Do Astronauts Experience Changes in Weight While in Space?

Astronauts feel different when it comes to their weight while they are in space. Here’s why that happens:

Weight vs. Mass:
- Mass is the amount of stuff in your body and does not change. For example, if you weigh 70 kg on Earth, you stay 70 kg in space.
- Weight is how hard gravity pulls on that mass. It can be figured out using this formula: Weight (W) = mass (m) × gravity (g).
Microgravity Environment:
- When astronauts are in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), gravity is still there, but it is around 90% of what it is on Earth. This means it’s about 9.81 meters per second squared.
- Because of this lower gravity, astronauts feel weightless. This feeling is often called microgravity, which makes them float around.

So, even though astronauts weigh less in space, the actual amount of mass they have doesn’t change at all.

Astronauts feel different when it comes to their weight while they are in space. Here’s why that happens:

Weight vs. Mass:
- Mass is the amount of stuff in your body and does not change. For example, if you weigh 70 kg on Earth, you stay 70 kg in space.
- Weight is how hard gravity pulls on that mass. It can be figured out using this formula: Weight (W) = mass (m) × gravity (g).
Microgravity Environment:
- When astronauts are in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), gravity is still there, but it is around 90% of what it is on Earth. This means it’s about 9.81 meters per second squared.
- Because of this lower gravity, astronauts feel weightless. This feeling is often called microgravity, which makes them float around.

So, even though astronauts weigh less in space, the actual amount of mass they have doesn’t change at all.

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