Question

you may complete this review up to 3 times. you can earn up to 10 points of extra credit on the unit 4 quiz. round all numerical answers to the fourth digit behind the decimal place. enter all numerical answers in stan floating notation (normal decimals), not scientific notation. question 18 1 pts astronauts on the international space station float. what is the best explanation for this? while there is still gravitational force exerted on the space station, the space station is in free fall around the earth while in orbit, causing the astronauts to feel no gravitational acceleration. there is no gravitational force outside of our planets atmosphere, so the astronauts float freely. the international space station is a hoax perpetuated by the lizard people and the astronauts are hooked up to an elaborate system of wires to make them appear to be floating. this is done to keep earths citizens ignorant of the earths true flat geometry. there is some gravitational force exerted on the international space station, but it is so small the astronauts and the space station feel almost no gravitational force.

Explanation:

Gravity still acts on objects in orbit. The International Space Station (ISS) is in a state of free - fall around the Earth. When an object is in free - fall, the normal force (which gives the sensation of weight) is zero. So, astronauts in the ISS, which is in free - fall, feel no gravitational acceleration (they are in a state of apparent weightlessness).

• The second option is wrong because there is gravitational force outside the Earth's atmosphere. Gravity is a long - range force and acts even in space.
• The third option is a conspiracy theory with no scientific basis.
• The fourth option is incorrect. The gravitational force on the ISS is not extremely small. The formula for gravitational force is \(F = G\frac{Mm}{r^{2}}\), where \(M\) is the mass of the Earth, \(m\) is the mass of the object (ISS or astronaut), and \(r\) is the distance from the center of the Earth. The ISS is not that far from the Earth compared to the scale of the solar system, so the gravitational force is still significant, but the free - fall motion causes the apparent weightlessness.

Answer:

While there is still gravitational force exerted on the space station, the space station is in free fall around the Earth while in orbit, causing the astronauts to feel no gravitational acceleration.