Space walking astronauts are usually tethered by rope to the space capsule. An astronaut wearing his spacesuit and a 50 kg backpack has had his tether come loose and is now slowly drifting away into space. Using Newton's 3rd Law, how can he save himself?

Question

Amari Richard

Physics

2 March, 12:21

Space walking astronauts are usually tethered by rope to the space capsule. An astronaut wearing his spacesuit and a 50 kg backpack has had his tether come loose and is now slowly drifting away into space. Using Newton's 3rd Law, how can he save himself?

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Cherish Ho · Answer 1

Newton's 3rd law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This means that if the astronaut throws his 50kg backpack in the direction in which he is drifting with enough force, he will propel himself back towards the spaceship