Question

a spacecraft is flying away from the moon toward earth.
what will be true of the moons gravitational pull on the spacecraft?
it will repel the spacecraft.
it will increase.
it will remain the same.
it will decrease.

Explanation:

Gravitational force \( F = \frac{Gm_1m_2}{r^2} \), where \( G \) is the gravitational constant, \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects (moon and spacecraft here), and \( r \) is the distance between them. As the spacecraft moves away from the moon, \( r \) increases. Since \( F \) is inversely proportional to \( r^2 \), when \( r \) increases, \( F \) decreases. Gravitational force is always attractive, so it won't repel. And as \( r \) is getting larger, force can't increase or remain the same.

Answer:

It will decrease.