I have come across multiple videos where an astronaut will let go of an object (just watched one where it was a bolt), and all of them tend to float upwards relative to the camera. Could it just be that earth is actually positioned “up” from the camera so gravity has an effect? or is it that when they let go of the object, they are subtly pushing it upwards? idk could somebody explain.
In: Physics
There’s no reason that I can think of for objects to consistently “fall” upward relative to the camera. I see three possible explanations. (1) The person releasing the object does so with a slight push upward, whether consciously or not. (2) The drift is random, and you happen to have only seen or noticed when the object floats up. (3) The clips where the object floats up are specifically selected and posted because they’re more interesting– they defy the expected behavior of falling objects here on terra firma.
No, I don’t think Earth’s gravity plays a part in this phenomenon, at least not any more than the astronauts or anything else in the vessel. The Space Station is in orbit– basically freefall.
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