Question

An astronaut is on a spacewalk 300 kilometers above Earth's surface. If the astronaut's mass is 70 kilograms, what is the force of interaction between Earth and the astronaut?

Answer 1

The force of interaction between Earth and the astronaut is approximately 689.67 Newtons.

Step-by-step explanation:

The force of interaction between Earth and the astronaut can be calculated using Newton's law of gravitation:

F = (G * m1 * m2) / r^2

Where F is the force of interaction, G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.67430 × 10^-11 N(m/kg)^2), m1 is the mass of Earth (approximately 5.972 × 10^24 kg), m2 is the mass of the astronaut (70 kg), and r is the distance between Earth's surface and the astronaut (300 km + Earth's radius).

Therefore, the calculation would be:

F = (6.67430 × 10^-11 N(m/kg)^2 * 5.972 × 10^24 kg * 70 kg) / (6.38 × 10^6 m + 300 km)

After calculating this expression, we find that the force of interaction between Earth and the astronaut is approximately 689.67 Newtons.