Freefall
Freefall is the state of motion of an object or a person where they are falling solely under the influence of gravity. In space and astronautical engineering, freefall is a critical concept as it is the state in which objects or spacecraft orbit around a celestial body. In freefall, the gravitational force acting on the object is balanced by the centrifugal force, resulting in a stable orbit. Freefall is also used in astronaut training to simulate the microgravity environment of space. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are in a state of continuous freefall, which gives them the sensation of weightlessness. Understanding freefall is crucial for designing spacecraft trajectories and calculating the forces acting on spacecraft during launch and re-entry.
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