Appel 43.1 - Micro

MICROGRAVITY
BY ALICIA KNIJNENBURG
Have you ever looked at space and imagined yourself being there? Seeing Earth’s
surface from a completely different view. Not only the view, but also the feeling of being
weightless must be incredible. You do not have to go all the way to space to experience
being weightless. It is also present here on Earth. You only need to know where to look.
WHAT IS IT?
The name microgravity already speaks for itself: a very small amount
of gravity. It is also referred to as weightlessness since objects or people
appear to be weightless in it. It should be noted however that the gravity
will not be exactly zero, but just very small. Gravity works between
objects with a mass. For it not to work, you have to be very far away
from an object. However, environments can be created where you do
not have to be far away and still experience microgravity. Astronauts,
for example, who float in their spacecrafts or the fact that they can lift
the heaviest objects with just one hand or finger. Those experiences are
possible because of microgravity.
HOW TO CREATE IT?
Being in a state of microgravity means that no other forces should be
present. One way of doing that is by being in a free fall. It also means
that air drag cannot be present, as it is with for example skydivers.
16 DE APPEL