> (At some point you would just orbit the Earth, right?)
No way. I think you really misunderstand how weightlessness works in space, and I can assure you it's much more interesting than you think. :-p
While gravity does decrease with distance, it doesn't decrease nearly as fast as you think. For instance, at the altitude of the International Space Station (280 miles, or roughly ten times the altitude of this jump), the force of gravity is still 90% as strong as on the surface of the Earth.
In fact the only reason people are "weightless" up there is because they're constantly falling towards the surface of the earth. (Think of if you're in an elevator whose cable snaps, you'll appear to be "weightless" inside the elevator).
Fortunately for the astronauts, the ISS is moving horizontally so fast, that the Earth is actually falling away from them (due to it being round) at the same rate that they're falling to the ground.
This is the same with, say, the space shuttle. The reason people seem to float in there is because the thing is falling like a rock. It just happens to be moving forward 17,000 mph, so the earth falls away with it.
No way. I think you really misunderstand how weightlessness works in space, and I can assure you it's much more interesting than you think. :-p
While gravity does decrease with distance, it doesn't decrease nearly as fast as you think. For instance, at the altitude of the International Space Station (280 miles, or roughly ten times the altitude of this jump), the force of gravity is still 90% as strong as on the surface of the Earth.
In fact the only reason people are "weightless" up there is because they're constantly falling towards the surface of the earth. (Think of if you're in an elevator whose cable snaps, you'll appear to be "weightless" inside the elevator).
Fortunately for the astronauts, the ISS is moving horizontally so fast, that the Earth is actually falling away from them (due to it being round) at the same rate that they're falling to the ground.
This is the same with, say, the space shuttle. The reason people seem to float in there is because the thing is falling like a rock. It just happens to be moving forward 17,000 mph, so the earth falls away with it.