Why Do Astronauts Float in Space? | A2 ESL Science Reading Passage

A pen can float beside an astronaut inside a space station. Does that mean gravity has disappeared? Read this short English passage, then try the questions.

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Reading Level: A2–B1 Word Count: 180 words in the reading passage.

Reading Passage

An astronaut lets go of a pen inside a space station. Instead of dropping to the floor, it seems to hang in the air. The astronaut floats beside it. What is happening?

It is easy to think that there is no gravity in space. But Earth still pulls strongly on a nearby space station. Gravity has not gone away.

The station, the astronaut, and the pen are all falling together. This is called free fall. The floor does not hold the astronaut up as a floor on Earth does. Inside the station, people feel weightless. The pen seems to float because it is falling with them.

Why does the station not hit Earth? It also moves sideways very fast. As it falls, Earth curves away beneath it. The station keeps falling around the planet. This curved path is an orbit.

So floating does not mean that gravity has stopped working. Gravity is helping the station travel around Earth. The astronaut and the pen share that journey. They look still inside the cabin, but they are moving around our planet together.

Key Vocabulary

Word	Meaning
gravity	the force that pulls objects toward each other
free fall	movement caused by gravity alone
weightless	not feeling your weight pressing on a supporting surface
orbit	the path of an object around another object

Reading Questions

1. Does Earth still pull on the space station?
2. What three things are falling together?
3. Why does the station not hit Earth?
4. What is an orbit?
5. Are the astronaut and the pen really still in space?

Answers

1. Yes. Earth's gravity still pulls on it.
2. The station, the astronaut, and the pen.
3. It moves sideways fast enough to keep falling around Earth.
4. A path around another object.
5. No. They are moving around Earth with the station.

Short Summary

Astronauts float because they and their spacecraft fall together around Earth. Gravity is still present.

More Easy Readings

• What Is Gravity?
• Why Does the Moon Change Shape?

Science Sources

• NASA: What Is Microgravity? — Student Guide
• NASA Glenn: What Is Microgravity?

The images are educational illustrations.