Q: Why are objects in the space...

Q: Why are objects in the space shuttle weightless, although they remain close to the Earth?

A: Objects in space are not “weightless” because there is no gravity acting on them. Rather, they are “weightless” for the same reason that a person in a falling elevator would feel weightless--because both the person and the elevator are falling toward the Earth. Because of the shuttle’s height and forward motion, however, the Earth conveniently curves out of the way, so the shuttle never “hits bottom,” according to William A. Gutsch Jr., former head of the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium in New York City.