An astronaut of mass m is working on a satellite orbiting the earth at a distance h from the earth's surface. The radius of the earth is R, while its mass is M. The gravitational pull F_G on the astronaut is

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(3) F_G=(GMm)/((R+h)²). Newton's law of gravitation gives the pull on a mass m at a distance r from the earth's centre as (GMm)/(r²). The astronaut sits on a satellite orbiting at height h, so his distance from the centre is r=R+h. Hence F_G=(GMm)/((R+h)²), a definite value and not zero. Weightlessness is only the absence of a normal reaction, because the astronaut and the satellite have the same acceleration.

An astronaut of mass m is working on a satellite orbiting the earth at a distance h from the earth's surface. The radius of the earth is R, while its mass is M. The gravitational pull F_G on the astronaut is

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