How does a zero gravity simulator used to train astronauts actually work?
In: 90
The trainees ride in an airplane that flies in parabolic arcs. A parabola is a special curve that models a relationship between a quantity and its square. For example, if you were to plot the height of a ball thrown into the air against time, the resulting curve would be parabolic; gravity on earth accelerates objects at a rate of 9.8 meters per second squared. What the plane does to simulate zero gravity is it flies in arcs that trace out that same shape. It flies up at 9.8 meters per second squared, which doubles the apparent force of gravity inside the cabin; and then it flies down at 9.8 meters per second squared, which effectively cancels out the pull of gravity and allows objects to float weightless relative to the cabin. You can do the same thing at home with an empty soda bottle, some tape, and something like a ladder or a balcony. Punch some holes in the bottle, maybe a quarter of the way up, halfway up and three quarters of the way to the top. Place a strip of tape over the holes, and fill the bottle with water. Take the full bottle up to a high place where you can drop it safely and then pull the tape off. Water will start pouring out the holes, like you would expect. Then drop the bottle and watch what happens. While the bottle is falling, the water will stop coming out the holes because the water and the bottle are falling together; relative to the bottle, the water becomes weightless and their is no force pulling it down and out the holes
Edit: [Here’s a video of Brian Greene doing the same experiment](https://youtu.be/0jjFjC30-4A?si=3M_Epgt0_N4ZAINS)
Latest Answers