Question

1. if an astronaut in space pushes off the satellite she is working on, what will happen to her if there are no other acting external forces? (1 point)

she will move in the same direction at the same speed forever.
she will continuously speed up.
she will eventually slow down and come to a stop.
she will periodically change direction.

Explanation:

According to Newton's first law of motion (the law of inertia), an object in motion will stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. In space, if there are no other acting external forces after the astronaut pushes off the satellite, there is no force to change her velocity (speed and direction). Continuously speeding up would require a net force (from Newton's second law \(F = ma\)), slowing down and coming to a stop would also require a force (like friction, which is absent here), and periodically changing direction would need a force to act as a centripetal or other directional - changing force (also absent).

Answer:

She will move in the same direction at the same speed forever.