Part 8/14:
In reality, gravity at the ISS’s altitude—about 250 miles or 400 km—is still roughly 89% of what it is on Earth's surface. The phenomenon of astronauts floating is due to freefall: everything in the station, including the astronauts, is constantly falling toward Earth but also moving forward at such high speed that they keep missing it.
Think of throwing a ball: if thrown hard enough, its trajectory curves with the Earth's curvature, creating an orbit. The astronauts are in a perpetual state of falling around Earth, experiencing weightlessness—not zero gravity.
Summary: Gravity never disappears; instead, astronauts feel weightless because they’re in continuous freefall relative to their surroundings.