Question

An astronaut leaves the International Space Station (ISS) on a tethered line. Although ISS and Earth exert gravitational force on the astronaut, why does she appear to be weightless.

A) Earth only exerts gravitational force on objects at its surface.
B)The mass of the astronaut is insufficient to be affected by gravity.
C) Earth and ISS cancel each other's gravitational force on the astronaut.
D)The distance from Earth and mass of ISS exert negligible gravitational force on the astronaut.

Answer 1

Answer: D)The distance from Earth and mass of ISS exert negligible gravitational force on the astronaut.

Step-by-step explanation:

The distance from Earth and mass of ISS exert negligible gravitational force on the astronaut. Gravity is a very weak force and varies with mass and the inverse square of distance. The astronaut's distance from Earth and the relative small mass of ISS result in gravitational force near zero.