Final answer:
The astronaut plus their space suit weigh 250 N on the Moon; on Earth, the weight would be 1,500 N due to stronger gravity. The mass of the astronaut and suit remains constant at about 154 kg, as mass is independent of gravity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Mass and Weight on the Moon versus Earth
The weight of an astronaut plus their space suit on the Moon is only 250 N. To convert this weight to Earth, we need to use the gravitational force difference between the Moon and Earth. The gravitational acceleration on the Moon is approximately 1/6th of that on Earth. If an astronaut combined with a space suit weighs 250 N on the Moon, they would weigh six times more on Earth because Earth's gravity is six times stronger than the Moon's gravity.
To find out how much they would weigh on Earth, you would multiply the Moon weight by 6, which gives you 1,500 N. Answering (b), the mass on the Moon and on Earth would be the same, since mass is not affected by gravity. To find the mass, we use the formula weight = mass × gravitational acceleration. Therefore, the mass would be the weight on the Moon (250 N) divided by the Moon's gravitational acceleration (1.622 m/s²), which equals approximately 154 kg.