Why Astronauts Float Inside a Space Home
On the Space Station, way up above the clouds, astronauts float like feathers! They flip in the air. Their water floats in wiggly balls. Even their pencils drift away if they let go. It looks like so much fun. But why does it happen?
Down here on Earth, when you jump, you come back down. Something pulls you down. That something is called GRAVITY. In a space home, astronauts and their things float instead.
What You'll Learn
1. What the word gravity means. 2. Why astronauts float inside their space home. 3. How a space home is built to keep floating astronauts safe.
Gravity Pulls Us Down
Falling Around the Earth
Falling Around the Earth
A space home, called a station, zooms around the Earth very, very fast. The whole station is always falling, and the astronauts fall with it at the same speed. When you fall together with everything around you, you float! That is why the astronaut and her floating water ball drift side by side.
Since everything floats, a space home has handles on the walls and straps to hold things down. Astronauts sleep in sleeping bags stuck to the wall so they do not bump around at night!
Building a Floaty-Safe Home
If you designed a space home, you would need Velcro to stick food trays down, nets to catch floating pencils, and foot straps so astronauts can stay at a table. Everything must have a home, or it will drift away and get lost!
Match each space-home item to why astronauts need it.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
Why do astronauts float inside a space station?
Why does a space home have straps and Velcro?
Design a Floaty Space Bedroom
1. Draw a bedroom for an astronaut on a space station. 2. Show where the sleeping bag sticks to the wall. 3. Add at least 3 straps, nets, or Velcro spots to hold things down. 4. Draw one thing floating in the middle. Tell a grown-up why it floats and how you would catch it!
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
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