Why do astronauts float around in space? It’s not because gravity disappeared. Gravity is the force that pulls things down to earth, but the moon has gravity too. All objects do. Gravity gets weaker as we move away from the object trying to pull us back down. The farther you get from earth, the less you feel the pull of gravity, but it’s still pulling. The moon is smaller than the earth, so it has less of a pull towards it.

Gravity is what gives us weight. It’s pulling down on us. You would weigh less in less gravity. When astronauts float, do they weigh nothing?

No! They still have gravity pulling on them, just less. It’s really the orbit of the space shuttle around earth in a constant curve that’s making everything float. The gravity is less and the space shuttle is moving and curling around so quickly that nothing has the chance to fall to the ground!

This makes doing everything tricky. Their drinks and food can float away. Astronauts have to be tied to a treadmill to be able to run and get some exercise. They have to be tied down to sleep.