67. The spoon dropped by an astronaut in a satellite will A.Fall to the floor B.Remain stationary C.Continue to follow the motion of the satellite D.Move tangentially away
Option C Solution: An orbiting satellite is a projectile in the sense that the only force acting upon an orbiting satellite is the force of gravity. A satellite is acted upon by the force of gravity and this force does accelerate it towards the Earth. In the absence of gravity a satellite would move in a straight line path tangent to the Earth. In the absence of any forces whatsoever, an object in motion (such as a satellite) would continue in motion with the same speed and in the same direction. The force of gravity acts upon a high speed satellite to deviate its trajectory from a straight-line inertial path. Indeed, a satellite is accelerating towards the Earth due to the force of gravity. As far as spoon dropped by astronaut in a satellite is concerned, it continues to follow the motion of the satellite as there is inertia of motion acting upon it.
