Gravity in Space: Mass, Weight & Calculations

[LiqurC]

A. How much gravity is experienced on board the shuttle and moon craft? Is this zero gravity or just extremely small gravity? If it is not zero can you calculate its size in terms of the gravity we experience on Earth's surface?



B. The effects of rotation: How much gravity is experienced on the space station? Will a person's weight be the same as on the Earth? Estimate the size and rotation of the space station, and therefore calculate the force of gravity experienced on board. How fast will the space station be rotating, and how large a radius is needed on the space station to simulate Earth's gravity?



C. How does a person's weight change on different planets. Find out the mass of the Earth, Moon and Jupiter, and use this to calculate your weight on those three places.



D. How would you measure the mass of objects in space? On Earth a 10 kg mass has a weight twice that of a 5 kg mass - is that true in space?

 

[Wallace]

Welcome to PF LiqurC.

This post belongs in the Homework Help forum, you will need to show what working you've done in order to get help as well, that's the policy on homework help here at PF. A moderator will probably move this thread soon, but post your work in any case.

 

[Moetasim]

A. The amount of gravity experienced on board a shuttle or moon craft is not zero, but it is significantly less than the gravity experienced on Earth's surface. This is due to the fact that these objects have a much smaller mass compared to Earth, and therefore have a weaker gravitational pull. The exact amount of gravity experienced on these objects depends on their mass and distance from the Earth, but it is typically around 1/6th of Earth's gravity on the moon and 0.000001 times Earth's gravity on the shuttle.

B. The amount of gravity experienced on the space station also depends on its mass and distance from the Earth. However, due to its constant rotation, the space station experiences an additional centrifugal force that counteracts some of the gravitational force. This results in a slightly lower weight for individuals on the space station compared to their weight on Earth. To calculate the force of gravity on the space station, we would need to know its mass, distance from the Earth, and the speed and radius of its rotation. The space station rotates at a speed of about 17,500 miles per hour and has a radius of approximately 220 miles, which is why astronauts on the space station experience about 90% of Earth's gravity.

C. A person's weight on different planets depends on the planet's mass and radius. The mass of the Earth is approximately 5.97 x 10^24 kg, the mass of the Moon is about 7.35 x 10^22 kg, and the mass of Jupiter is around 1.90 x 10^27 kg. Using the equation F = G(m1m2)/r^2, where G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between them, we can calculate the weight of a person with a mass of 70 kg on each of these planets. On Earth, their weight would be 686.7 N, on the Moon it would be 116.6 N, and on Jupiter it would be 1581.4 N.

D. The mass of objects in space can be measured using various techniques such as analyzing their orbital motion, studying the effects of their gravity on nearby objects, or using telescopes to measure their size and density. In space, the weight of an object is not the same as its mass, as weight is a measure of the force of gravity acting on an object