Question: why is there no gravity in space

Sara Imari Walker answered on 13 Jun 2011:

Hi natalie1998! There is gravity everywhere in the universe. But, it is strongest near large bodies of mass. This is why things like plants, puppies, and people stay bound to the surface of the Earth. As you move away from these large bodies the gravitational force gets weaker and weaker but its still there. For example, astronauts in orbit around the Earth are sad to feel the “weightlessness of space”. What is actually happening is that they are not strongly bound to the Earth since they are so far above its surface. But the Earth-Moon-astronaut system is still gravitationally bound to the Sun! This is what keeps Earth in orbit around the Sun. The Moon and the astronaut feel much more of a gravitational attraction to the Earth than the Sun since it is sooooo much closer, but the Sun still has an effect. Likewise even Pluto in the far reaches of our Solar system also feels the gravitational pull of the Sun. So, we feel like there is no gravity in space because the effect is so much smaller than what we are used to on Earth. But it is still there!