---
title: "If Gravity Is Still Strong at the ISS, Why Do Astronauts Feel Weightless?"  
description: "If Gravity Is Still Strong at the ISS, Why Do Astronauts Feel Weightless?"  
author: "Martina Catalano"  
published: 2026-10-19  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/117898/if-gravity-is-still-strong-at-the-iss-why-do-astronauts-feel-weightless  
category: "Mix Category"  
tags: ["international space station", "gravity", "Orbital Mechanics"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# If Gravity Is Still Strong at the ISS, Why Do Astronauts Feel Weightless?

I used to assume astronauts float because they are far enough from Earth that gravity is almost gone. But the [International Space Station](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2218/russian-spacecraft-carrying-goods-is-directed-at-the-international-space-station) orbits only about 400 km above the surface, where Earth's gravitational pull is still a large fraction of what we experience on the ground.

How does that fit with videos of astronauts and loose objects floating inside the station?

I have seen the phrase **“continuous free fall”**, but I am struggling to picture why the station does not simply fall to Earth. What role does its sideways speed play, and what would a weighing scale under an astronaut's feet actually measure?

A comparison between gravity in low Earth orbit and the sensation of weight would help more than a detailed orbital calculation.


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Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/117898/if-gravity-is-still-strong-at-the-iss-why-do-astronauts-feel-weightless

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