Question

The gravitational force exerted on an astronaut on the Earth's surface is 650 N directed downward. When she is in the space station in orbit around the Earth, the gravitational force on her is

larger. exactly the same. smaller. nearly but not exactly zero. exactly zero.

Answer 1

The gravitational force on an astronaut aboard a space station is smaller than on Earth's surface but is not zero; astronauts feel weightless due to the station's continuous free-fall orbit

Step-by-step explanation:

When an astronaut is aboard a space station in orbit around the Earth, the gravitational force on her is smaller than when she is on the Earth's surface, but it is not exactly zero. In fact, at the altitude of the International Space Station (ISS), the force of gravity is about 90% of what it is at the Earth's surface. The weightlessness astronauts experience is due to the space station being in free-fall around the Earth, meaning that both the astronauts and the station are falling towards Earth at the same rate, creating a sensation of zero gravity.

Answer 2

The gravitational force on an astronaut in the ISS is smaller than on Earth's surface, but not zero. They experience near weightlessness because they are in free fall around Earth.

Step-by-step explanation:

When an astronaut is within the confines of the International Space Station (ISS), orbiting Earth, the gravitational force acting upon them is smaller than that on Earth's surface but is not exactly zero. Although Earth's gravity at the altitude of the ISS is about 90 percent of its strength at the Earth's surface, astronauts experience weightlessness due to the ISS being in a continual state of free-fall around the planet, effectively creating a microgravity environment.

In other words, while the force of gravity acting on the astronaut is not much less than that on Earth's surface, the sensation of weightlessness is due to the astronaut and the space station both being in free fall, moving in a trajectory where gravity is constantly pulling them towards Earth, but their forward motion keeps them in orbit.

Therefore, if an astronaut weighs 650 N on the Earth's surface, the gravitational force on them would still be significant when in orbit though they would feel nearly but not exactly zero force due to their state of free-fall, making the correct answer 'smaller.'