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mi·cro·grav·i·ty | \ ˌmī-krə-ˈgra-və-tē 
\
\Definition of microgravity
: a condition in space in which only minuscule forces are experienced : virtual absence of gravity broadly : a condition of weightlessness
Examples of microgravity in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web Miura 1 is designed to launch 100kg of payload to an altitude of 150km, providing as much as three minutes of microgravity.
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Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: Musk updates Super Heavy plan, China to launch spaceplane?," 4 Sep. 2020 For example, the University of Wisconsin's The Advanced Astroculture™ project, which seeks to understand the effects of microgravity on plant growth, has sent plants like Arabidopsis thaliana (a variety of mustard plant) and soybeans to the ISS.
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Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, "Space Weed Could Keep Astronauts Healthy," 16 July 2020 But, in the environment of microgravity, the execution of these human functions requires a few adaptations.
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Nadine Daher, Smithsonian Magazine, "Smithsonian Curators Help Rescue the Truth From These Popular Myths," 20 Feb. 2020 Koch also studied how a protein key in the growth of tumors and cancer crystallizes in microgravity.
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Lily Katzman, Smithsonian Magazine, "Christina Koch Returns to Earth After Breaking Spaceflight Record," 10 Feb. 2020 This way, scientists who would like to conduct experiments in microgravity can actually ride into space with them.
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Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, "Take a Look Inside Virgin Galactic's Sleek Spaceplane," 28 July 2020 However, in an interview with Ars, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said the program seeks mostly to increase the time NASA spends in microgravity.
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Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "NASA asks industry to provide it with greater access to microgravity," 24 June 2020 While space toilets are already in use at the International Space Station (ISS), they are specifically designed for microgravity, meaning people and objects appear to be weightless.
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Fox News, "NASA crowdsources new ideas for astronaut space toilets, offers $20G," 26 June 2020 On some of the very first space missions astronauts actually went to the bathroom in space diapers, and today still use those same diapers for spacewalks along with microgravity toilets on the International Space Station.
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Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, "NASA Wants You To Build a Toilet for the Moon in the ‘Lunar Loo Challenge’," 25 June 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'microgravity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for microgravity
The first known use of microgravity was in 1974
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