Astronaut in a Bottle

It’s common misperception that everything is floating on the International Space Station because there’s no gravity. This is a myth! Astronauts float on the ISS because they are falling around the Earth at the same rate as the ISS, and this is what causes the state of microgravity.

Using simple materials, you can observe microgravity and demonstrate it to your students.

• Cut out a piece of cardboard or card stock in the same size as the paper astronaut
• Glue the paper astronaut to the cardboard or card stock
• Create a thick stripe on the bottle with tape or the marker
• Punch or cut a hole in the paper astronaut
• Attach the string to the cardboard astronaut
• Hold the string in the neck of bottle with a finger so the astronaut is even with the line
• First, release just the string and hold the bottle
• Observe the astronaut falling to the bottom of the bottle
• Then, reset and release the string and bottle together
• Observe astronaut falling with the bottle during the drop – have a student or friend film this to see the concept in slow motion!