Question

An astronaut is on a spacewalk to make repairs to the solar panel array on the international space station. The astronaut somehow accidentally bumps into the soyuz space( the one the crew rode up to the iss) and the capsule breaks free of its dock. Which statement describes the motion of the capsules after it breaks free of the iss but before the panicked astronaut are able to retrieve it?

Answer 1

The motion of the Soyuz capsule after it breaks free of the ISS but before the panicked astronaut retrieves it can be described as an initial state of zero velocity and a free-fall motion caused by gravity.

When the Soyuz capsule breaks free of the ISS, it has an initial velocity of zero relative to the ISS. Since there is no air resistance in space, the only force acting on the capsule is gravity, which causes it to fall towards the Earth. The motion of the capsule can be described as a free-fall motion until some other force, such as atmospheric drag, slows it down or stops it.