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Q65
(NDA-II/2024)
Science & Technology › Basic Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology)
Official Key
An astronaut whose weight on the Earth is 600 N experiences weightlessness on International Space Station orbiting around the Earth. It means that
Explanation
Weightlessness in the International Space Station (ISS) occurs because the station and the astronaut are in a state of continuous free fall towards the Earth. While the gravitational pull of the Earth is still significant at that altitude (approximately 90% of Earth's surface gravity), both the astronaut and the ISS are accelerating towards the Earth at the same rate.
- Apparent Weight: The sensation of weight is actually the normal reaction force exerted by a surface (like a floor) against our body to oppose gravity.
- Zero Reaction: Because the astronaut and the floor of the space station are falling together with the same acceleration, the floor does not exert any upward force on the astronaut. Since the normal reaction force is zero, the astronaut experiences weightlessness.
- Note: Gravity is not zero, and the acceleration is not zero (it is the centripetal acceleration required to maintain orbit).
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