Why Astronauts Float in Space

Space actually has plenty of gravity. The International Space Station experiences 90% of Earth's gravity

right now. Astronauts aren't floating because gravity disappeared. They're floating

because they're falling. The station moves so fast, about 17,500 miles

per hour, that as it falls toward Earth, the planet curves away beneath it

at the exact same rate. It's like firing a cannonball so hard it keeps missing

the ground. Everything inside falls together at the same speed, which creates that

weightless feeling. So gravity is everywhere in space. It never went away. The astronauts are

just in permanent free fall, and that's what makes them float.