Question

As your Shuttle Lander is approaching the Planet below and the distance between them becomes smaller, how does this affect the Gravitational Force pulling on the Lander? Explain your answer with Scientific Evidence.

A. The Gravitational Force decreases because of the smaller distance.
B. The Gravitational Force increases because of the smaller distance.
C. The Gravitational Force remains constant regardless of the distance.
D. The Gravitational Force reverses its direction.

Answer 1

The gravitational force between a Shuttle Lander and a planet increases as they get closer, in accordance with Newton's law of universal gravitation, supporting option B.

Step-by-step explanation:

As your Shuttle Lander is approaching a planet, the gravitational force pulling on the Lander increases because the distance between them is becoming smaller. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, the force of gravity between two masses is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. When the distance between the Shuttle Lander and the planet decreases, the force of gravity increases because its magnitude decreases with the square of the distance between the objects. This is why option B is accurate; the Gravitational Force increases because of the smaller distance.