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All objects with mass exert a gravitational pull. You exert a gravitational pull on all of the objects around you, but because your mass isn't that great (compared to the earth or the moon) and because of friction, objects don't become gravitationally bound to you like they do to larger objects. In space, away from the gravitational influence of other objects, and without friction from an atmosphere, it would be possible to have your pen gravitationally bound to you and orbiting you. To answer your question: if you encounter something with a moderate sized mass, such as a small asteroid or a 1976 Ford Crown Victoria, you will find your path through space will start to drift towards that object. If you make contact with it, you would be able to leave again by pushing off hard enough to beat the escape velocity (jumping, for example, or using a rocket pack). If you encounter something with a large mass, such as a planet or a star (Roseanne Barr would do), you may find yourself pulled uncontrollably towards it (also known as "falling") due to its large gravitational influence on you. You would probably wind up burning up in the atmosphere or impacting the surface and leaving a crater (ouch). If you manage to continuously fall towards the object without actually getting closer to it, you would be said to be orbiting it. You may not be able to leave orbit again because of the larger escape velocity needed to escape from a larger mass object.

2007-01-29 13:25:34 · answer #1 · answered by That Guy 4 · 0 0

All masses exert a gravitational ATTRACTIVE force on every other mass. According to Newtonian gravitation the strength of the force is proportional to the mass of each involved in a pairwise (2-body) interaction. So the more massive an object encountered in space the larger the attractive force, since your spacecraft mass remains relatively "constant". Space is vast and stars, though large and massive objects compared to our earth, are small in size compared to the distances between them, even the biggest stars. So if you travel away from earth in a random direction, the most likely encounter with massive objects, stars/planets/black holes/neutron stars etc. would be a parabolic or hyperbolic trajectory. The best example of such an encounter is what happens to comets. Most come in on parabolic trajectories, speed up greatly as they approach perihelion (closest to our sun), then slow down as they move away. Unless one were extremely unlucky, the chances of a direct impact with any object are small, most encounters being very far away from the star. Even so, a "close" approach to our sun or any other star means vaporizing plasma temperatures, high energy electromagnetic and particle radiation and some increasing g forces in the approach to perihelion. Massive tidal and g forces would become important if you had a non-impact, close encounter with a black hole, neutron star/pulsar or a white-dwarf, though the even greater radiation effects from these objects would likely vaporize one long before making closest approach. If you pass far enough away OR find a way to protect the spacecraft from the disruptions from a close encounter you could GAIN some energy and velocity from the encounter. You could also LOSE some energy and become trapped in a very elongated elliptical orbit about the massive body.

2007-01-29 14:13:37 · answer #2 · answered by jjd52star 1 · 0 0

Ding Ding Ding!!! Not all masses have gravity by the way.

Let say the object is not moving in space, if you encounter them, you wont be hit by them(Cause they not moving), but you can move them easily with a light push(Not really very light) But you work like a superman in space.

Hugh masses that got gravity, is due to the hard energy core that is formed in the center of it, like earth or moon, So not everything will have an energy core. if the object have energy core, then there is chance that you be suck onto it and you will have weight again.

By the way, space is weightless, we have weight because of gravity. And impact will only happen if one of the object is moving at a speed in space, free body wont have much impact.

2007-01-29 13:11:43 · answer #3 · answered by larry_lum 1 · 0 2

i'm unsure what you advise by using this question, however the standard regulation of gravity states which you replace into lighter as you get further from a close by of mass. that could advise that reckoning on the direction you went from the earth you're able to alter into lighter, or heavier. in case you traveled in the direction of something with greater mass... ie the solar, you're able to alter into heavier. in case you traveled removed from any stars, or greater effective planets, you're able to alter into lighter untill you purchased closer to a planet or celeb with greater mass. you apart from mght could think approximately which direction the mass is pulling you... it must be pulling you up if the mass grew to become into abover your area deliver. this could make you seem lighter, yet could genuinely advise your gravity is only up area down.

2016-11-23 13:09:38 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

depending on its mass, your mass, and the distance between them, the object of larger mass ...may...capture the mass of the smaller object

2007-01-29 13:54:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

They warp space-time, so therefore you will travel in a different path.

2007-01-29 15:35:41 · answer #6 · answered by futureastronaut1 3 · 0 0

Gravity will pull you towards them

2007-01-29 13:01:17 · answer #7 · answered by Cyrus A 2 · 0 0

You may stick to them then what are you gonna do?

2007-01-30 00:27:06 · answer #8 · answered by Billy Butthead 7 · 0 0

Your trajectory can be deviated, or you may crash on them.

2007-01-29 13:23:55 · answer #9 · answered by PragmaticAlien 5 · 0 0

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