Final answer:
Shirley Sheshort would be able to conduct her study on a spaceship in a location far from significant gravitational forces, as Einstein's equivalence principle suggests that being in free fall is indistinguishable from being in zero gravity, as long as any necessary compensations for the experiment are made option D is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the equivalence principle postulated by Einstein, an astronaut would not be able to distinguish between being in free fall in a gravitational field and being weightless in remote space. Therefore, Shirley Sheshort would be able to conduct the same study on the spaceship regardless of whether it was in a location in space far from significant gravitational forces or in free fall towards a planet.
The conditions are considered equivalent; gravity's role is simulated by the free fall. The correct choice would be: c. Yes, as long as Shirley compensates for the lack of gravity, assuming that compensation is necessary for the particulars of her experiment and that she has the means to do so.
The key concept here is weightlessness, which astronauts experience both while orbiting Earth in the International Space Station and in a ship far from significant gravity.
This sensation of weightlessness occurs despite the presence of gravity because they are in free fall, continuously falling towards the planet but also moving forward at a speed that ensures they keep missing it, hence orbiting. Therefore, gravity still exists but does not affect objects in the spacecraft in the usual way, allowing the study to be conducted similarly to how it would be in remote space.