Why do astronauts no disappear into the distance when they release their hold on their space craft (like the ISS) which is travelling at incredible speeds through space?

950 views
0 Comments

There is no air resistance, I get that. And the space craft/ISS is in orbit, I *kind* of get that. But if astronauts still experience acceleration in space, why do they not experience deceleration when they are no longer getting “pulled” by their vehicle?

BONUS QUESTION: at what point does acceleration forces stop? A space ship accelerates in space, all crew are pushed back into their seats, but when does that feeling dissipate if they remain at that new speed?

In: Physics

11 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Perhaps an interesting real-life (ISS) video regarding acceleration in space:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI8ldDyr3G0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI8ldDyr3G0)

Jump to 3:00-ish for when the burn actually happens.
You are viewing 1 out of 11 answers, click here to view all answers.