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DrHugh t1_j5wpvx1 wrote

Gravity is towards the center of the Earth. If you are in space, in freefall you wouldn't have a sensation of "down." If you are accelerating in a direction, you'd have a sense of down from "behind" you (think of how the Apollo astronauts were on their backs on liftoff, even though the spacecraft arced out and changed angle).

In space, there is no up and down. You could identify a convention, that the "top" of the solar system is where the planets all seem to go in this direction around the sun, so if they seem to go the other way, you are "below," but that's just for consistent terminology.

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MaryPoppinSomePillz t1_j5wpztu wrote

Wut? Gravity pulls towards the center of the earth, "up and down" don't exist in space. You would be moving down reletive to the core of the earth aka. Towards it.

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spacetimeguy t1_j5wqnph wrote

You should read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

I can't tell you why. Spoilers.

But it has something to do with "down", in space...

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michaelklr t1_j5wqpep wrote

Hmmmm, I wonder if time dilation works on a "Being" that gravity has no effect on.

Now that is food for your thoughts.

Wait.... now how about those "Tic Tacs" that supposedly use earths gravity with anti-gravity technology to move about effortlessly. Zero time dilation? Or are they on another level of understanding?

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BrockTestes t1_j5wrmb9 wrote

Antarctica isn't down, it's south and relative.

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lifesyndrome OP t1_j5wruwo wrote

Replying to ExtonGuy (#1,497,790)

no I mean

if u were superman in space...you'd be flying UP but once passed the atmosphere...you'd be flying down to the land. wouldn't that boggle your brain a little bit?

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infotekt t1_j5wsg5x wrote

with respect to gravity there is no "bottom of earth"

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gothlaw t1_j5wsnfz wrote

There’s no up and down, except in relation to the observer.

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Orion113 t1_j5wsvw5 wrote

Replying to lifesyndrome (#1,498,019)

There is no up in space. Every direction is the same. Superman could be staring at the Earth from space, and flip his whole body around so that Antarctica is "on top" of the Earth, and then fly "down" to it. Or he could flip 90 degrees so Antarctica is "on the side" of the Earth, and fly straight into it.

That Antarctica is placed at the bottom of every map and globe is completely arbitrary, it's not because it's actually up, down, left, or right. It's just there.

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DeeJuggle t1_j5wte8j wrote

Replying to lifesyndrome (#1,498,019)

In space, whether you're Superman or not, there is no UP.

Assuming that there is a designated direction that you can label as "up" in space, is what's causing your confusion. That assumption is incorrect.

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pbmadman t1_j5wtqx7 wrote

Replying to lifesyndrome (#1,498,019)

See, it the “up” part in the first sentence you have all wrong. There is no up. Showing the earth with the North Pole as up is merely convention. It would be just as correct to flip it over and have the South Pole at the top (as viewed while standing on earth). We put the solar system “flat” with the planets orbiting in the direction they do only as convention, there is no up or down in the absence of gravity.

Think of it like this. Up is always pointing away from the center of earth. Down is always pointing towards the center.

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Jay_Beckstead t1_j5wtv4f wrote

Depends on Newton’s or Einstein’s rules of physics. Newton says you’d be “falling,” while Einstein would say that the Earth is rising up to meet you while being constantly warped by the time-space continuum.

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candyowenstaint t1_j5wtwxo wrote

There’s not really directions in space, only forward and backward. All perspectives/orientations would feel the same

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T0WERM0NKEY t1_j5wty6p wrote

Up and down are subjective. Your question doesn't make sense.

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anona_moose t1_j5wu1ol wrote

My friend, I sincerely need you to draw a diagram or something, because I really want to know what you're trying to say.

In most simple terms, "down" is the gravitational pull straight line from where you are straight to the core of the Earth. It doesn't matter if you're directly over Spain, Florida, or Antarctica. The Northern or Southern poles don't matter for "down" .. If you took a helicopter and flew directly over the South pole, and jumped out right when you were over it, how do you think you would fall?

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PM_Me_Frosted_Tits t1_j5wu8yd wrote

I'm confused, did you think people fall into space at the south pole?

Gravity has no up or down in a concrete sense. Whatever side of the globe you're on when you re-enter the atmosphere is going to be facing "up" and you'll be flying "down" towards the surface and the pull of gravity.

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lifesyndrome OP t1_j5wungc wrote

Replying to PM_Me_Frosted_Tits (#1,498,279)

no no no

I'm saying (in a child's mind lol) if u were superman

and went to space and looked at the bottom of the earth(Antartica) and flew TOWARDS IT....are you flying up...or down?

​

that's what I was asking

but I got the answer now

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msk1974 t1_j5wutta wrote

Once you hit the atmosphere you would be going down towards earth. This is the case regardless of where you are once you enter the atmosphere and head toward earth. Down is the direction of your perception and where gravity is pulling you.

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ExtonGuy t1_j5wvj4t wrote

"Up" is away from the local gravity source ... the Earth in this case. "Down" is toward the local gravity source.

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jamesangellaw t1_j5ww96l wrote

Replying to 12altoids34 (#1,498,413)

The movie got a lot wrong. And the best part of books is you get to choose the accents/pronunciations. Your imagination is more important than a Hollywood director’s determination.

(Side note: huge Ender’s Game fan, read the entire extended series. Movie was good, but missed a lot… as expected from movies).

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EasyE215 t1_j5wwdwj wrote

This is honestly like asking why all the penguins haven't fallen into space...

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AdStrong809 t1_j5wx9k4 wrote

In space you would be moving towards the planet. Once you reach the gravitational pull of the planet you would then begin to be pulled "down" towards the planet. Regardless of where you are on the planet gravity will always pull you down towards the center of the planet.

Where you are standing, look down at your feet. Thats the direction gravity will always pull you.

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overmonk t1_j5wxi5q wrote

I think you’re conflating gravity with earth’s magnetic fields maybe? From space, any large mass will have gravity and the largest will be ‘down.’ It doesn’t matter which part you’re over.

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PM_Me_Frosted_Tits t1_j5wxme5 wrote

Replying to lifesyndrome (#1,498,318)

The concepts of up or down are meaningless in microgravity environments, you're facing towards, away, or adjacent to something but up and down is non-applicable.

You wouldn't feel like you're flying "Up" at the earth because where the south pole is depends on your own perspective. Change your direction and now it's "down" and on "top" of the earth.

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Cody86772601 t1_j5wxt16 wrote

You only start going down once you're in the planet's gravitational pull.

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jamesangellaw t1_j5wy5we wrote

Replying to Alegan239 (#1,498,774)

Just the first. And only really a subset of the first (like most movies… hard to cover 400’pages in 2 hrs).

There are at least 10 other books. Most take place hundreds or thousands of years after Ender’s Game.

Second is called Speaker for the Dead.

I cannot recommend more highly.

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Arbusc t1_j5wyhoi wrote

If gravity is currently pulling you in a certain direction, then it is ‘down.’ The opposite of where gravity is trying to pull is ‘up.’

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SpartanJack17 t1_j5wyl1a wrote

Hello u/lifesyndrome, your submission "If you were in space facing Antartica and you flew towards it, gravity-wise would you be going up or down?" has been removed from r/space because:

  • Such questions should be asked in the "All space questions" thread stickied at the top of the sub.

Please read the rules in the sidebar and check r/space for duplicate submissions before posting. If you have any questions about this removal please message the r/space moderators. Thank you.

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Fluffbutt69 t1_j5wyn46 wrote

I think this question depends on your expectations of up and down.

If you're only thinking in terms of reference frames, it could be whatever you want. Though conventionally, down would be towards Earth.

In terms of acceleration and feeling a force applied to you, there are 3 scenarios I can see. We will define the direction of acceleration as "down"

  1. Acceleration toward earth if you are entering orbit at less than terminal velocity. In this case is towards earth

  2. No acceleration towards earth if you are entering at terminal velocity. In this case there is no down.

  3. Decceleration towards earth if you are entering faster than terminal velocity. In this case down is towards where you came from.

I would argue that case 2 only exists at 1 point in the atmosphere as terminal velocity will be gradient with the density of atmosphere. In this case (2) down would be towards earth, towards space, and undefined depending on your distance from the surface.

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arcangelsabyss t1_j5wytdk wrote

In reference to??? How we orient on earth or how we orient in the universe? If question one we probably have an answer. I would assume if question two then we don't have enough data to extrapolate the answer being we don't know (if there are) boundaries to orient to.

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Username_Chose_Me t1_j5wz3hp wrote

Look at it this way. If I was on the ground in Antarctica and Superman was above me in space, I'd be looking up at him. From my perspective, if he's flying straight towards me from space, he'd be going down.

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I_Am_King_Midas t1_j5wz5vl wrote

Replying to percussaresurgo (#1,498,687)

We are winning in Florida. It has one of the highest rates of migration to the state. I know you dont like this but, Floridians also really like DeSantis and he has a high approval rating.

As far as Florida seeming "crazy" it's the sunshine laws and then people trying to compare the current Conservative main states of Florida and Texas to the liberal main states of California and New York. Whichever side of the spectrum you fall on, you will likely have a negative opinion of the places associated with the opposite side.

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thenoone1984 t1_j5wzbz5 wrote

Replying to AttitudeAndEffort3 (#1,498,545)

Do not watch the movie. It was absolute shit. There is a reason they never made any of the other ones into a movie. That happens a lot when movie producers royally screw up the first movie adaptation (e.g. Eragon, ATLA, and so many others).

Just enjoy the books.

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Damiklos t1_j5x0r1t wrote

Replying to DrHugh (#1,497,773)

So I get the whole no sense of up or down in space.

Assuming you could survive the descent thru the atmosphere. At what point would the brain perceive your going down towards the ground? I guess at some point the sensation of floating thru space and heading towards the earth changes into falling towards the earth.

Edit: corrected punctuation

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jamesangellaw t1_j5x13vz wrote

Replying to LookMaNoPride (#1,499,018)

I honestly cried from joy. I read that book probably five times starting a decade or more before the movie. Seeing the battle school on the big screen was moving.

Did it not do justice to the physical and mental torture of Ender. Of course. But it was still beautiful to me.

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Phoebesrent-a-bee t1_j5x1jqb wrote

Replying to jamesangellaw (#1,499,189)

Ah sorry, i fired off too soon. Read the first sentence and skimmed past. My b, friend! I would say that while personally reading something there is no right or wrong way to pronounce things, but the movie by most metrics didn’t get it wrong, as the book states how the author intended the name to be pronounced and had some reasoning behind it. But on the other side, fuck noted homophobe religious wierdo orsen scott card. So like, 6 of 1, half dozen other etc.

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DrHugh t1_j5x3ao4 wrote

Replying to Damiklos (#1,499,178)

You'd probably get that sense well above the atmosphere. There have been a lot of videos that do a Google Earth kind of "fly in" effect. If you were surrounded by such views, the sense of collision would probably be very strong, regardless of whether you had a sense of acceleration. I would suspect that different people would experience alarm at different altitude or perceived speeds.

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Engineering_Flimsy t1_j5xcwnr wrote

Replying to anona_moose (#1,498,435)

I lived way too many years in Florida. Loved the weather and the ocean. But, everything else... Was a fair trade for a long while, those perks versus the craziness that seemed almost drawn to that State. Eventually, though, the scales tipped the other way and now I live in South Carolina.

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humblemandudebroguy t1_j5xdo50 wrote

I think what you’re trying to say is that because maps/globes have Antarctica on the bottom…. That while you fly toward earth, would you perceive it as flying “up” like at the bottom of a ball.

Maybe from afar it would look like “the bottom” because of the bias we have thanks to maps….

But you would “feel” gravity pulling you towards earth as usual. The sensation wouldn’t be different at all.

Visually…. The earth is effing huge and you would have to be WAY FAR AWAY in order to even think “up” or “down”.

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