09. Where would you land if you fell down below space? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

When you live on a planet like Earth, it makes sense to consider the notions of up and down because you are bounded by a strong gravity field and by well-defined landmarks like the Earth below and sky above. But in space, while moving in an Earth orbit which is essentially a free fall environment, there are no such constraints. Objects in space can move in any direction needed so you are free to define your boundaries in any way that suits your needs. So if you were an astronaut in an orbit in space next to the Space Shuttle, you could say that you are about to take a spacewalk to investigate the bottom of the Space Shuttle, which is actually facing away from the Earth with the Shuttle doors wide open to allow trapped heat to be given off. So there you are—it is all a matter of perspective.

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Answer provided by Jim Zebrowski

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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