Question

Imagine that scientists placed a satellite at the Earth-Moon L1 Lagrangian

point, which is a point between Earth and the Moon where the gravitational
pulls from the two bodies are equal and opposite. What would happen if a
satellite at this position drifted slightly closer to Earth?
O A.
A. The gravitational pull from the Moon would correct the satellite
and bring it back to the Lagrangian point.
OB. The satellite would stop drifting and would remain fixed in this
position because of its tangential velocity.
OC. The satellite would continue to drift toward Earth as Earth's pull
became stronger than that of the Moon.
OD. The gravitational pull from the Sun would eventually pull the
satellite from this point and cause it to directly orbit the Sun.

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

A. The gravitational pull from the Moon would correct the satellite and bring it back to the Lagrangian point.

At the Earth-Moon L1 Lagrangian point, the gravitational pulls from the Earth and the Moon are balanced, and the satellite is in a stable equilibrium. If the satellite drifted slightly closer to Earth, the gravitational pull from the Earth would become stronger, but the gravitational pull from the Moon would also increase due to its closer distance, and this would correct the satellite's motion and bring it back to the Lagrangian point.