I understand why astronauts orbiting the earth are weightless since they are in constant freefall. But why are the astronauts who went to the moon weightless?
I imagine that as you accelerate away from the earth towards the moon, you are no longer falling but are instead climbing. Intuitively, I think that this would give you some kind of gravity. Coming back I would think that you are constantly falling towards the earth, so I understand how the return journey would be weightless.
In: Physics
It’s not exactly “falling.” Falling is the inertia feeling. The feeling of the Gs from the acceleration. Or from slowing down. They are only weightless because the gravity well of earth, like a magnet, pulls down on the craft and the people in it, but after a certain distance, there is an illusion of freeness, but for a while the earth will still have you falling towards it. At a certain point, you start to fall to the next closest object. I.e. : the moon.
Btw The higher your altitude, the weaker the earths pull is on you. I learned that a week or two ago. But i thought i already kinda knew that.
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