Tidal forces have enough power to literally tear planets and moons apart over millions of years. Which is understandable, because it’s a planet / moon. But humans and our tech do not have that level of durability. Yet we can remain in orbit practically indefinitely with little to no consideration about tidal force being a threat. Why is that?
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Tidal forces happen when gravity pulls on one part of an object differently than on another. For instance, if a large moon passes closely to a planet, gravity would be pulling on the side of the moon facing the planet more than the side away from the planet, just because the side facing the planet is closer and gravity depends on distance. If the difference in force is large enough, it can potentially tear the moon apart. Planets and moons are also mostly held together by gravity themselves. Gravity is weak compared to the other fundamental forces, making celestial bodies relatively “fragile” for their size.
Humans are both very small and held together mainly by electromagnetic interactions between molecules in our bodies. Two meters or so of distance between our heads and feet isn’t going to change the force of gravity much around most celestial bodies, so tidal forces are going to be very small, and too weak to cause any physical damage.
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