Space Travel
Misconceptions and Educational Research
Common misconceptions include:
- Astronauts orbiting Earth are experiencing zero gravity because they are far from Earth. In fact, they are in free-fall as they orbit the Earth; they are not significantly far from the Earth and are still being pulled strongly toward the Earth.
- Humans have traveled to other planets rather than just the Moon.
- Robotic missions have traveled to other stars and planets outside our solar system.
- Humans have never left the Earth.
- Spaceships can travel faster-than-light or at warp-speed.
