If someone were to drop, say, a wrench out of a plane, it will crash to earth. But if an astronaut drops the same object from his orbiting space shuttle, does it crash to earth also?
2006-09-10 15:11:13 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Actually, if an astronaut drops a wrench outside the shuttle, the wrench will orbit the shuttle, as it is closer and has a greater gravitational influence on the wrench. Of course the wrench is also orbiting the Earth, since that's what the shuttle is doing.
But if the astronaut throws the wrench out the shuttle with sufficient velocity, the wrench would escape the shuttle and just orbit the Earth, and slowly over time, the wrench will fall down into Earth's atmosphere and burn up.
2006-09-10 15:44:31 · answer #1 · answered by PhysicsDude 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Several issues here Megn, first of all, there is a technical difference between being an astronaut in orbit and being an astronaut in space. In orbit (of any planet), you are not really "gravity-free" because you are actually "falling" but it is just that everytime you fall, you just miss the earth. That is why, things in orbit go around the Earth for no apparent reason.
Being in "space" means being in micro-gravity. Strictly technically speaking, Earth's gravity affects even Pluto but the effects are just sooooooo small that they can be safely ignored. So being in space, we consider it gravity-free.
Second, how is the wrench actually released. Is it simply let go of or is it "thrown" towards the earth?
If I am in orbit and I simply let go of the wrench, the wrench will be in orbit too which means it will just keep on circling Earth (at a certain speed depending on the height of the orbit) and never reach Earth.
If I am in orbit and throw the wrench slow enough, it will go into something called a decaying orbit. This means that it is in orbit and it will circle the Earth but the circle keeps getting smaller and smaller and then eventually the wrench will crash (depending on the rate of decay).
If I am in orbit and throw the wrench with enough force, it will go directly towards the Earth like space shuttles do upon re-entry.
Third, once the wrench is in the atmosphere, it will fall and keep getting faster and faster until it hits something called terminal velocity and then it will stay there until impact. Terminal velocity exists because of resistance from air. Also due to friction, the wrench will obviously be burning hot and it might even start melting/boiling off. It will start dissapating. I don't know whether there will be a wrench left to hit the Earth or not but it will definitely be smaller.
And if there is anything left, it will impact the Earth's surface.
2006-09-10 15:43:02 · answer #2 · answered by The Prince 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The wrench will stay in orbit for quite awhile because it is traveling very fast, much faster than if it were dropped from a plane. Gravity is not all that much lower in near-Earth orbit. It has to be strong enough to keep the shuttle in a circular orbit. If you put a ball at the end of a string and swing it around in a circle, the tension on the string is analogous to the gravitational force on the shuttle.
2006-09-10 15:41:58 · answer #3 · answered by or_try_this 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if the shuttle is orbiting in space, then it is out of Earth's gravititional pull. So does the wrench. It will stay in space unless an outside force acts upon it.
2006-09-10 15:29:03 · answer #4 · answered by Liwayway 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No, the wrench would burn up entirely in earth's atmosphere. If an object was large and dense enough, it would also burn up in the atmosphere and what little part was left would hit the ground.
2006-09-10 15:24:32 · answer #5 · answered by Wait a Minute 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, because it won't have the velocity to break through into our atmosphere. There's no gravity to pull it down so speed is the only factor that could get it into our atmosphere where gravity would then take over and pull it to earth. Basically, anything "dropped" in space stays is space (sort of a Las Vegas of the universe - what happens in space, STAYS in space ! lol)
2006-09-10 15:12:49 · answer #6 · answered by JaneB 7 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Agree 100% with Kaiser above. Most of the other answers are bogus.
-T
2006-09-10 18:35:01 · answer #7 · answered by tomz17 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, eventually it would come back when its orbit deteriorated.
It might melt though when it hits the atmosphere.
2006-09-10 15:19:25 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Kaiser's answer is most approriate.Some still think no gravity in orbit.
2006-09-10 20:14:39 · answer #9 · answered by dwarf 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, at least not as quickly. Gravity is greater close to the earth's surface.
2006-09-10 15:13:59 · answer #10 · answered by Texas Cowboy 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋