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an astronaut in the satellite releases a pencil out of the satellite in space. will the pencil fall on the earth?​

User NinjaKC
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Answer:

NASA did not spend millions developing a space pen. The first U.S. astronauts did indeed use pencils and not pens, according to the NASA History Program Office. After a private inventor (Paul Fisher) developed a space pen on his own, he attempted to sell the pens to NASA. At first NASA refused the offer. Pencils lead to unwanted dust in the confined quarters of a space ship,so NASA was searching for an alternative. Unfortunately, ordinary pens do not work in free fall conditions like the astronauts experience. On the surface of the earth, gravity accelerates the ink downward while the pen case is held in place by a person that is held in place by the ground. But in space, both pen and ink are steadily falling so that the ink does not come out. In contrast, Fisher's space pen uses internal pressure to force the ink out,much like an aerosol can. After testing Fisher's pen, NASA became so satisfied with their performance that it started purchasing the pens for $6 a piece. Russian cosmonauts also switched from pencils to Fisher space pens.

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User Sudhan Kantharuban
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No, it will not fall. The pencil will remain at zero speed relative to the spacecraft and will orbit the earth with the spacecraft.

User Xaver Kapeller
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