Gravity to Weightlessness

First Name: Krishta
First Letter of Last Name: M
Grade: 9
What is your favorite planet or star? The Morning Star
What is your favorite rocket? Lots
Question: Is it hard to adjust from gravity to no gravity? I know it must be worth it despite the challenges.

Hi Krishta, thanks for your great question! I also really like the “Morning Star”1—Venus—which was created by God on day four of creation week. It shines so brightly in the morning (or evening) sky that people long ago gave it that special name. In fact, after the sun and moon, it’s the third brightest object in the sky! It’s so amazing how God designed even the planets like Venus to declare his glory: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

And as for your favorite rocket being “lots of them”—I love that answer! I agree, there are so many really cool rockets that have been developed, from the Saturn V (my personal favorite!) that took astronauts to the moon, to the Falcon 9 that regularly launches satellites to orbit, and many others. Every rocket launch reminds me of the incredible creativity that God gave humans to discover more about his creation.

Now to your question, yes, it is hard to adjust when astronauts go from the earth’s gravity to the “weightlessness” of space. And you’re right—it’s still worth it despite the challenges! Down here on the earth’s surface, the pull from gravity keeps our feet on the ground, helps our muscles stay strong, and even keeps our bones healthy.

But in space, they’re weightless (basically in “free fall”) and no longer feel that pull! And as a result, their muscles and bones get weaker because they aren’t pushing against gravity like on earth. (Even simple things like sleeping, eating, or going to the bathroom become a whole lot trickier!) I’ve never been to space myself, but I’m sure it feels very strange at first. In fact, some astronauts even say that they feel dizzy or sick during their first few days.3

Of course, that may sound fun (and it probably is!), but it also means that their bodies have to work hard to adjust to the new environment. That’s why astronauts train for years to get ready for living in space. It takes practice, but they get better over time. Once they get used to it, they’re able to do amazing things like go on space walks to do work outside the International Space Station (ISS).5

Speaking of astronauts, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore recently returned to earth after spending over nine months on the ISS (their mission was originally planned for just eight days, but due to spacecraft issues, they stayed much longer), and they’re now doing the exact opposite—going through the very tough and long process of readjusting back to the earth’s gravity.

But here’s something super cool: Captain Barry Wilmore6 isn’t just an experienced astronaut—he’s also a committed Christian and a biblical creationist! He’s worked with us at Answers in Genesis and has shared about his time in space and his love for God’s creation.7 And guess what?! You can actually meet him—in person—along with two other Christian astronauts: Colonel Jeffrey Williams8 (who flew 534 days on four space flights to the ISS) and eneral Charlie Duke9 (the tenth man to walk on the moon). On July 12, 2025, at the Ark Encounter, you can hear and meet these three American heroes. With a parent’s help, you can register for this exciting event.

The Bible reminds us that God made the earth to be just right for us to live on (Isaiah 45:18)—and gravity is one of his good designs! When astronauts leave earth, they get a special view of just how wonderfully designed our home is. And like you said, sometimes the biggest challenges really are worth it when we’re exploring and learning more about the awesome universe God made. So keep asking great questions, keep exploring, and keep praising our amazing God who made it all!

Footnotes

1. Fun fact: In case you’re wondering why Venus is only visible in the morning or evening, that’s because Venus is closer to the sun than the earth is. So from our view, it always stays near the sun in the sky, shining brightly just before sunrise or just after sunset. And this is why Venus is called the “Morning Star” (when it shines before sunrise) and the “Evening Star” (when it shines after sunset).
2. During my aerospace career, I was the lead navigation engineer for all three launch vehicles on the left side of that image (Pegasus, Minotaur, Antares).
3. This is known as space motion sickness or space adaptation syndrome, which many astronauts experience during their initial days on the ISS.
4. Fun fact: This pool holds 6.2 million gallons of water! While not exact, floating in space is a lot like floating in water, so astronauts train about seven hours in the pool for every one hour they will spend on a space walk.
5. A space walk (also called an EVA, which stands for extravehicular activity) is any time an astronaut gets out of a vehicle while in space. Today, astronauts will go on space walks outside the ISS that can usually last around five to eight hours, depending on the job.
6. You can ask a parent to help you read more about Barry Wilmore here: https://answersingenesis.org/bios/barry-wilmore/.
7. For instance, with a parent’s help, you can listen to a really great interview that Dr. Danny Faulkner and I had with him, located here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QBvHfX2v0Fg?si=IcmLw31jwFPUxi7G.
8. You can ask a parent to help you read more about Jeffrey Williams here: https://answersingenesis.org/bios/jeffrey-williams/.
9. You can ask a parent to help you read more about Charlie Duke here: https://answersingenesis.org/bios/general-charlie-duke/.