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If a flight mechanic drops a wrench from a high flying jumbo jet it crashes to Earth If an astronaut on the orbiting space shuttle drops a wrench does it crash to Earth also?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
First, if a mechanic in a jumbo jet in flight drops a tool, it will fall to the floor of the jet where he can easily pick it up. Nobody goes out of the aircraft while in flight to work on things. Even in the old B-36 bomber, in which the mechanic could work on the engines while in flight, he worked on them INSIDE the aircraft, not outside.
Second, when the International Space Station astronaut dropped her tool bag about a year ago, the toolbag continued to orbit the Earth. But the ISS isn't in a perfectly stable orbit; the Shuttle boosts it back up every year or so. Without this boost, the ISS will fall out of orbit and crash, as did the toolbag about 9 months after she dropped it.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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How does the force of gravity on an astronaut orbiting in the space shuttle compare with the force of gravity on the same astronaut when she is standing on the earth s surface?
Gravity is proportional to the mass and inversely proportional to the square of the distance of the centre of the body or bodies.As the shuttle orbits at a comparatively low altitude and the mass remains constant the force diminishes only slightly. Being in free-fall does not mean there is no gravity.
Why did kalpana chawla go to the moon?
No, Kalpana Chawla, an Indian-American astronaut working for NASA, died on February 1, 2003 high above the state of Texas, due to the disintegration of the space shuttle Columbia during the time of its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. This accident is known today as the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster. Neither Chawla nor any astronaut has ever gone to Mars.
What causes the earth to move on its orbit?
The two motions that cause orbiting are gravity and free fall. Take an orbiting space shuttle for example. The shuttle is in free fall because gravity pulls down on it. The shuttle's path would be straight if not for gravity pulling down on it. The shuttle moves forward at a constant speed and gravity pulls down on it, so the path of the shuttle is curved.
Does space shuttle revolve around earth before going to other planets?
Space shuttles are not designed to go to other planets, they stay in a near earth orbit, orbiting earth several times in a mission before returning back to earth. They don't really go far from our planet.
How does the size of the planet affect the time in the planets day?
No. The orbital period depends only on the dimensions of the orbit. That's why the Space Shuttle and an astronaut on a "space walk" outside it didn't need to be tied together. The Shuttle and the astronaut could both be in the same Earth orbit, even though their sizes and masses were quite different.
Does the speed of a satellite in orbit depend on its mass?
No. The speed of any orbiting body depends only on the energy of its orbit, meaning mainly its distancefrom the central body.When a Space Shuttle astronaut performs a 'space walk', and momentarily unhooks his feet from thehull of the shuttle, he and the shuttle are both in earth orbit. The astronaut and the shuttle have thesame orbital speed, and they stay close together, even though the shuttle has somewhat more massthan the astronaut has.
Is gravitational force acting on a person who falls off a cliff or on an astronaut inside an orbiting space shuttle?
Yes to both. That would include people inside the shuttle too. If the shuttle sowed down, it would fall back to earth
What do American astronaut do with the trash theyaccumlate on the shuttle?
They throw it out the shuttle
What is a orbiting space shuttle?
An orbiter.
How does mass determine the orbit of a celestial body?
Mass doesn't influence the orbit of a celestial body. Consider this: An astronaut aboard the Space Shuttle puts on a space-suit and steps outside for a 'space walk'. While he or she is out there ... inspecting the tiles or flexing the arm or whatever else they do out there ... the astronaut picks up both feet and floats free of the Shuttle for a few seconds. The astronaut and the Shuttle are both in earth orbit, and they stay together. They don't fly apart, even though the Shuttle's mass is thousands of times the astronaut's mass. As long as the orbiting body is small compared to the central body, the period of the orbit depends only on its size, not on the mass.
Who is the heaviest person on the space shuttle?
astronaut
Why do objects in orbiting space shuttle float?
No Gravity.
Does an astronaut have mass on the space shuttle if its weightless?
yes
Name of shuttle where woman astronaut died?
the challenger
What is a traveler has seen the stars from the space shuttle?
An astronaut
How do you become a space shuttle pilot?
That is now impossible. To become an astronaut, you have to be admitted to their Astronaut Training Program.
What is a space shuttle like in space?
Technically, as an astronaut is weightless in space, so should a space shuttle!
