Why are astronauts in orbit "weightless"?

Astronauts in orbit are "weightless" because they are in a state of continuous free fall towards Earth.

In more detail, the concept of weightlessness in space is a common misconception. Astronauts are not actually weightless, they just appear to be because they are constantly falling towards the Earth. This is due to the fact that an orbit is essentially a continuous fall towards the planet.

When an object is in orbit, it is moving forward at a high speed while also falling towards the planet. However, because the planet is curved, the object keeps missing it. This is what creates an orbit. The object is falling towards the planet, but it also keeps moving forward, so it never hits the planet. This is the same thing that happens to astronauts in space. They are falling towards the Earth, but they are also moving forward at a high speed, so they keep missing it.

This continuous fall creates a sensation of weightlessness. When you are in free fall, you do not feel your own weight. This is because the force of gravity is the only force acting on you, and it is pulling you down at the same rate as everything around you. So, you do not feel any forces pushing against you, which is what we normally associate with weight.

This is why astronauts in orbit appear to be weightless. They are in a state of continuous free fall, so they do not feel their own weight. However, this does not mean that they are actually weightless. The force of gravity is still acting on them, it is just that they do not feel it because they are in free fall.

In conclusion, the sensation of weightlessness in space is not due to the absence of gravity, but rather due to the fact that astronauts are in a state of continuous free fall. This is a key concept in understanding how orbits work and why astronauts appear to be weightless when they are in space.