Assuming a spacecraft is traveling in a constant rate and our Astronaut will exit it to a space walk, will he be “left behind” by the spacecraft?

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Lets say our Spacecraft is traveling to a remote Galaxy at a constant speed of 1/X of the speed of light.



A brave Astronaut is leaving the spacecraft to a space walk, while not being attached to the spacecraft.



Will the astronaut



  1. hover near the spacecraft at the same speed as it (1/X of speed of light), or

  2. be quickly behind the spacecraft and will watch it disappear in the black horizon?

Is there any difference between such a situation when orbiting the Earth and when being in the deep space?










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  • 2




    Is there a reason you think this would be different than a typical space-walk in Earth orbit?
    – JPhi1618
    6 hours ago














up vote
8
down vote

favorite
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Lets say our Spacecraft is traveling to a remote Galaxy at a constant speed of 1/X of the speed of light.



A brave Astronaut is leaving the spacecraft to a space walk, while not being attached to the spacecraft.



Will the astronaut



  1. hover near the spacecraft at the same speed as it (1/X of speed of light), or

  2. be quickly behind the spacecraft and will watch it disappear in the black horizon?

Is there any difference between such a situation when orbiting the Earth and when being in the deep space?










share|improve this question









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  • 2




    Is there a reason you think this would be different than a typical space-walk in Earth orbit?
    – JPhi1618
    6 hours ago












up vote
8
down vote

favorite
1









up vote
8
down vote

favorite
1






1





Lets say our Spacecraft is traveling to a remote Galaxy at a constant speed of 1/X of the speed of light.



A brave Astronaut is leaving the spacecraft to a space walk, while not being attached to the spacecraft.



Will the astronaut



  1. hover near the spacecraft at the same speed as it (1/X of speed of light), or

  2. be quickly behind the spacecraft and will watch it disappear in the black horizon?

Is there any difference between such a situation when orbiting the Earth and when being in the deep space?










share|improve this question









New contributor




riorio is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











Lets say our Spacecraft is traveling to a remote Galaxy at a constant speed of 1/X of the speed of light.



A brave Astronaut is leaving the spacecraft to a space walk, while not being attached to the spacecraft.



Will the astronaut



  1. hover near the spacecraft at the same speed as it (1/X of speed of light), or

  2. be quickly behind the spacecraft and will watch it disappear in the black horizon?

Is there any difference between such a situation when orbiting the Earth and when being in the deep space?







spacecraft interplanetary spacewalk






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edited 18 mins ago









RonJohn

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  • 2




    Is there a reason you think this would be different than a typical space-walk in Earth orbit?
    – JPhi1618
    6 hours ago












  • 2




    Is there a reason you think this would be different than a typical space-walk in Earth orbit?
    – JPhi1618
    6 hours ago







2




2




Is there a reason you think this would be different than a typical space-walk in Earth orbit?
– JPhi1618
6 hours ago




Is there a reason you think this would be different than a typical space-walk in Earth orbit?
– JPhi1618
6 hours ago










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As long as neither spacecraft nor the astronaut are accelerating or decelerating, the relative speed of the spacecraft and the astronaut remains the same. So the astronaut will hover near the spacecraft.



The actual velocity is irrelevant here, it's the same principle with every spacewalk: the ISS is moving at about 27,600 km/h, yet the astronauts do not "get left behind" when they exit for a space walk. They, too, move at about 27,600 km/h. They do move at a very slight relative velocity when they move along the spacecraft, though.



Things change if your spacecraft is accelerating or decelerating, though: in this case the astronaut needs to remain attached to the spacecraft to not get lost. As soon as they would let go, their current velocity would remain the same but the spacecraft would continue to change its velocity and the two would get further and further apart.






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  • 8




    @papakias No, because gravity will pull on both the ISS and the astronaut the same. Drag will slow the ISS more rapidly due to surface area, but that effect will take hours or days to make itself obvious.
    – Saiboogu
    9 hours ago






  • 5




    I would elaborate that the gravitational force on ISS is greater than on an astronaut as it has more mass, but also this mass makes it accelerate slower that if the same amount of force was applied to the astronaut. Things basically cancel out, and the gravitational acceleration is the same for everyone.
    – NikoNyrh
    7 hours ago






  • 1




    @Saiboogu, agreed, although if the astronaut was not tethered and even just 1 metre away from the ISS and completed a full orbit, the astronauts orbit would be fractionally different and therefore the ISS would move away very slightly, and each orbit that distance would increase, and now that i think about it the lighter astronaut would be more susceptable to atmospheric drag, even with how thin the atmosphere is at that altitude
    – Blade Wraith
    7 hours ago







  • 2




    I would emphasize that there is no unaccelerated flight -- there's always some mass somewhere (stars, galaxies etc.). The key issue is that the masses are usually so far away that the resulting gravitational field can be considered homogeneous with very little error and thus affects bodies that are "close" to each other (close relative to the closest significant gravitational sources) equally. That would not be the case in low orbit, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/….
    – Peter A. Schneider
    6 hours ago







  • 1




    @BladeWraith, not quite. If the astronaut were 1 meter away, in a homogeneous gravity field, they would co-orbit each other, or, more likely, oscillate in distance to each other. Better visualization: youtube.com/watch?v=cxNJoaBLLNM -- And, atmospheric drag depends entirely on the relationship to surface area hitting the atmosphere relative to weight... which usually correlates to an object's density. Spacecraft being intentionally light, and usually quite hollow, a spacewalking human is more dense than the ISS, so will experience less atmospheric drag.
    – Ghedipunk
    2 hours ago

















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I feel this sort of question benefits from a series of thought experiments.



Imagine instead that you've got two astronauts, side by side, zipping through space at some constant speed.



They're kind of sweet on each other so they're holding hands. Awwwww.



But then they suffer a cruel change of heart and stop holding hands!



What do you imagine would happen?



Does anything change if one of the astronauts is much fatter than the other?



If we replace the very fat astronaut with a spacecraft, does that change anything?



(I'm asking these questions quasi-rhetorically, for the benefit of the original question-asker. No need to answer me in comments.)






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  • 5




    What about the mutual gravity force? Until they hold their hands, they can remain at a fixed distance, but when they let go they slowly start approaching ;)
    – frarugi87
    7 hours ago






  • 2




    @frarugi87 how sweet! They can't avoid being nearer and nearer to each other...Awww :D
    – BlueCoder
    7 hours ago






  • 1




    If the partner of the very fat astronaut is replaced by a black hole the black hole gets to have vay fatty spaghetti for lunch.
    – Peter A. Schneider
    6 hours ago










  • @PeterA.Schneider If the partner is replaced by a black hole, there are two options: (1) you've just created mass from nowhere, pushing this wweeelllll out of the realm of predictable, or (2) the black hole evaporates instantly, turning the fat astronaut into a Pittsburgh Rare and / or superheated gas.
    – wizzwizz4
    1 hour ago






  • 1




    Re: gravity, note that the escape velocity of a 150kg astronaut+suit is only 56.06 nanometers / second. Good luck getting your velocity below that.
    – imallett
    1 hour ago

















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Another way to think is to consider two space walking astronauts; one inside the ship and one outside. Neither is touching the ship, both are moving at essentially the same speed in the same direction. All three pretty much stay together.



However, there could be a teeny tiny amount of acceleration experienced by each. For example, at an extremely high velocity, even the tiny impulse caused by each interstellar proton hitting a body can cause a bit of drag. The "indoor" space walker won't experience it, and so won't be slowed at all, but the ship will, and so will the "outdoor" space walker. It's not clear which one would be affected more, it depends on their cross-sectional areas and masses.



Then there are tidal effects. If there is a distant gravitational source, and there always is, that will accelerate all three the same. But if you are fairly close to a source of gravity, then it is possible that it affects them slightly differently because they will each have a very slightly different distance from the source.



For more on that see answers to Lowest ISS microgravity and for fun see How to get sunburned through the window of a General Products hull?



And before your ship does another neutron-star flyby to accelerate so fast, remember that what humans call UV is not the only thing that gets through a General Products Hull!






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    Let's tackle this with a slightly different question:




    Which falls faster? A bowling ball or a feather?




    Now, everyone knows the feather will fall slowly, but that's because the feather has a massive surface area to catch the air around it. Without air resistance they fall at the same rate (see the video below for a most impressive display of that principle)








    If an astronaut exits a spacecraft moving at 17,000 mph, they're still moving at a relative 17,000 mph because there's nothing to slow the astronaut down.






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    • 2




      Actually the hammer falls somewhat faster (if the objects fall not together but one after the other) because it pulls the earth towards itself just a tad stronger, so that the two collide a bit earlier. (My 10 year old remarked that when I suggested the feather/hammer experiment. Ouch.)
      – Peter A. Schneider
      6 hours ago










    • @PeterA.Schneider The difference is negligible. The formula for gravitational attraction (when you account for the mass of the Earth) bears this out (I had a physics teacher make us do that math). Either way, the experiment shows how a vacuum changes things
      – Machavity
      6 hours ago


















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    no, conservation of momentum is retained (an object in motion will remain in motion unless something acts upon it)...similar to being in an airplane and throwing a ball up in the air...seems like it should fly to the back of the airplane, but it won't...it'll act just like you were on the ground.






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      A brave Astronaut is leaving the spacecraft to a space walk, while not being attached to the spacecraft.



      Will the astronaut



      hover near the spacecraft at the same speed as it (1/X of speed of light), or



      be quickly behind the spacecraft and will watch it disappear in the black horizon?




      Newton's First Law of Motion ("an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force") means that the astronaut -- who is traveling at the same speed and direction as the ship while inside the ship -- will continue traveling at the same speed and direction as the ship when he steps out of it.






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        6 Answers
        6






        active

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        6 Answers
        6






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        up vote
        26
        down vote













        As long as neither spacecraft nor the astronaut are accelerating or decelerating, the relative speed of the spacecraft and the astronaut remains the same. So the astronaut will hover near the spacecraft.



        The actual velocity is irrelevant here, it's the same principle with every spacewalk: the ISS is moving at about 27,600 km/h, yet the astronauts do not "get left behind" when they exit for a space walk. They, too, move at about 27,600 km/h. They do move at a very slight relative velocity when they move along the spacecraft, though.



        Things change if your spacecraft is accelerating or decelerating, though: in this case the astronaut needs to remain attached to the spacecraft to not get lost. As soon as they would let go, their current velocity would remain the same but the spacecraft would continue to change its velocity and the two would get further and further apart.






        share|improve this answer


















        • 8




          @papakias No, because gravity will pull on both the ISS and the astronaut the same. Drag will slow the ISS more rapidly due to surface area, but that effect will take hours or days to make itself obvious.
          – Saiboogu
          9 hours ago






        • 5




          I would elaborate that the gravitational force on ISS is greater than on an astronaut as it has more mass, but also this mass makes it accelerate slower that if the same amount of force was applied to the astronaut. Things basically cancel out, and the gravitational acceleration is the same for everyone.
          – NikoNyrh
          7 hours ago






        • 1




          @Saiboogu, agreed, although if the astronaut was not tethered and even just 1 metre away from the ISS and completed a full orbit, the astronauts orbit would be fractionally different and therefore the ISS would move away very slightly, and each orbit that distance would increase, and now that i think about it the lighter astronaut would be more susceptable to atmospheric drag, even with how thin the atmosphere is at that altitude
          – Blade Wraith
          7 hours ago







        • 2




          I would emphasize that there is no unaccelerated flight -- there's always some mass somewhere (stars, galaxies etc.). The key issue is that the masses are usually so far away that the resulting gravitational field can be considered homogeneous with very little error and thus affects bodies that are "close" to each other (close relative to the closest significant gravitational sources) equally. That would not be the case in low orbit, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/….
          – Peter A. Schneider
          6 hours ago







        • 1




          @BladeWraith, not quite. If the astronaut were 1 meter away, in a homogeneous gravity field, they would co-orbit each other, or, more likely, oscillate in distance to each other. Better visualization: youtube.com/watch?v=cxNJoaBLLNM -- And, atmospheric drag depends entirely on the relationship to surface area hitting the atmosphere relative to weight... which usually correlates to an object's density. Spacecraft being intentionally light, and usually quite hollow, a spacewalking human is more dense than the ISS, so will experience less atmospheric drag.
          – Ghedipunk
          2 hours ago














        up vote
        26
        down vote













        As long as neither spacecraft nor the astronaut are accelerating or decelerating, the relative speed of the spacecraft and the astronaut remains the same. So the astronaut will hover near the spacecraft.



        The actual velocity is irrelevant here, it's the same principle with every spacewalk: the ISS is moving at about 27,600 km/h, yet the astronauts do not "get left behind" when they exit for a space walk. They, too, move at about 27,600 km/h. They do move at a very slight relative velocity when they move along the spacecraft, though.



        Things change if your spacecraft is accelerating or decelerating, though: in this case the astronaut needs to remain attached to the spacecraft to not get lost. As soon as they would let go, their current velocity would remain the same but the spacecraft would continue to change its velocity and the two would get further and further apart.






        share|improve this answer


















        • 8




          @papakias No, because gravity will pull on both the ISS and the astronaut the same. Drag will slow the ISS more rapidly due to surface area, but that effect will take hours or days to make itself obvious.
          – Saiboogu
          9 hours ago






        • 5




          I would elaborate that the gravitational force on ISS is greater than on an astronaut as it has more mass, but also this mass makes it accelerate slower that if the same amount of force was applied to the astronaut. Things basically cancel out, and the gravitational acceleration is the same for everyone.
          – NikoNyrh
          7 hours ago






        • 1




          @Saiboogu, agreed, although if the astronaut was not tethered and even just 1 metre away from the ISS and completed a full orbit, the astronauts orbit would be fractionally different and therefore the ISS would move away very slightly, and each orbit that distance would increase, and now that i think about it the lighter astronaut would be more susceptable to atmospheric drag, even with how thin the atmosphere is at that altitude
          – Blade Wraith
          7 hours ago







        • 2




          I would emphasize that there is no unaccelerated flight -- there's always some mass somewhere (stars, galaxies etc.). The key issue is that the masses are usually so far away that the resulting gravitational field can be considered homogeneous with very little error and thus affects bodies that are "close" to each other (close relative to the closest significant gravitational sources) equally. That would not be the case in low orbit, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/….
          – Peter A. Schneider
          6 hours ago







        • 1




          @BladeWraith, not quite. If the astronaut were 1 meter away, in a homogeneous gravity field, they would co-orbit each other, or, more likely, oscillate in distance to each other. Better visualization: youtube.com/watch?v=cxNJoaBLLNM -- And, atmospheric drag depends entirely on the relationship to surface area hitting the atmosphere relative to weight... which usually correlates to an object's density. Spacecraft being intentionally light, and usually quite hollow, a spacewalking human is more dense than the ISS, so will experience less atmospheric drag.
          – Ghedipunk
          2 hours ago












        up vote
        26
        down vote










        up vote
        26
        down vote









        As long as neither spacecraft nor the astronaut are accelerating or decelerating, the relative speed of the spacecraft and the astronaut remains the same. So the astronaut will hover near the spacecraft.



        The actual velocity is irrelevant here, it's the same principle with every spacewalk: the ISS is moving at about 27,600 km/h, yet the astronauts do not "get left behind" when they exit for a space walk. They, too, move at about 27,600 km/h. They do move at a very slight relative velocity when they move along the spacecraft, though.



        Things change if your spacecraft is accelerating or decelerating, though: in this case the astronaut needs to remain attached to the spacecraft to not get lost. As soon as they would let go, their current velocity would remain the same but the spacecraft would continue to change its velocity and the two would get further and further apart.






        share|improve this answer














        As long as neither spacecraft nor the astronaut are accelerating or decelerating, the relative speed of the spacecraft and the astronaut remains the same. So the astronaut will hover near the spacecraft.



        The actual velocity is irrelevant here, it's the same principle with every spacewalk: the ISS is moving at about 27,600 km/h, yet the astronauts do not "get left behind" when they exit for a space walk. They, too, move at about 27,600 km/h. They do move at a very slight relative velocity when they move along the spacecraft, though.



        Things change if your spacecraft is accelerating or decelerating, though: in this case the astronaut needs to remain attached to the spacecraft to not get lost. As soon as they would let go, their current velocity would remain the same but the spacecraft would continue to change its velocity and the two would get further and further apart.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited 10 hours ago

























        answered 10 hours ago









        DarkDust

        4,86412044




        4,86412044







        • 8




          @papakias No, because gravity will pull on both the ISS and the astronaut the same. Drag will slow the ISS more rapidly due to surface area, but that effect will take hours or days to make itself obvious.
          – Saiboogu
          9 hours ago






        • 5




          I would elaborate that the gravitational force on ISS is greater than on an astronaut as it has more mass, but also this mass makes it accelerate slower that if the same amount of force was applied to the astronaut. Things basically cancel out, and the gravitational acceleration is the same for everyone.
          – NikoNyrh
          7 hours ago






        • 1




          @Saiboogu, agreed, although if the astronaut was not tethered and even just 1 metre away from the ISS and completed a full orbit, the astronauts orbit would be fractionally different and therefore the ISS would move away very slightly, and each orbit that distance would increase, and now that i think about it the lighter astronaut would be more susceptable to atmospheric drag, even with how thin the atmosphere is at that altitude
          – Blade Wraith
          7 hours ago







        • 2




          I would emphasize that there is no unaccelerated flight -- there's always some mass somewhere (stars, galaxies etc.). The key issue is that the masses are usually so far away that the resulting gravitational field can be considered homogeneous with very little error and thus affects bodies that are "close" to each other (close relative to the closest significant gravitational sources) equally. That would not be the case in low orbit, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/….
          – Peter A. Schneider
          6 hours ago







        • 1




          @BladeWraith, not quite. If the astronaut were 1 meter away, in a homogeneous gravity field, they would co-orbit each other, or, more likely, oscillate in distance to each other. Better visualization: youtube.com/watch?v=cxNJoaBLLNM -- And, atmospheric drag depends entirely on the relationship to surface area hitting the atmosphere relative to weight... which usually correlates to an object's density. Spacecraft being intentionally light, and usually quite hollow, a spacewalking human is more dense than the ISS, so will experience less atmospheric drag.
          – Ghedipunk
          2 hours ago












        • 8




          @papakias No, because gravity will pull on both the ISS and the astronaut the same. Drag will slow the ISS more rapidly due to surface area, but that effect will take hours or days to make itself obvious.
          – Saiboogu
          9 hours ago






        • 5




          I would elaborate that the gravitational force on ISS is greater than on an astronaut as it has more mass, but also this mass makes it accelerate slower that if the same amount of force was applied to the astronaut. Things basically cancel out, and the gravitational acceleration is the same for everyone.
          – NikoNyrh
          7 hours ago






        • 1




          @Saiboogu, agreed, although if the astronaut was not tethered and even just 1 metre away from the ISS and completed a full orbit, the astronauts orbit would be fractionally different and therefore the ISS would move away very slightly, and each orbit that distance would increase, and now that i think about it the lighter astronaut would be more susceptable to atmospheric drag, even with how thin the atmosphere is at that altitude
          – Blade Wraith
          7 hours ago







        • 2




          I would emphasize that there is no unaccelerated flight -- there's always some mass somewhere (stars, galaxies etc.). The key issue is that the masses are usually so far away that the resulting gravitational field can be considered homogeneous with very little error and thus affects bodies that are "close" to each other (close relative to the closest significant gravitational sources) equally. That would not be the case in low orbit, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/….
          – Peter A. Schneider
          6 hours ago







        • 1




          @BladeWraith, not quite. If the astronaut were 1 meter away, in a homogeneous gravity field, they would co-orbit each other, or, more likely, oscillate in distance to each other. Better visualization: youtube.com/watch?v=cxNJoaBLLNM -- And, atmospheric drag depends entirely on the relationship to surface area hitting the atmosphere relative to weight... which usually correlates to an object's density. Spacecraft being intentionally light, and usually quite hollow, a spacewalking human is more dense than the ISS, so will experience less atmospheric drag.
          – Ghedipunk
          2 hours ago







        8




        8




        @papakias No, because gravity will pull on both the ISS and the astronaut the same. Drag will slow the ISS more rapidly due to surface area, but that effect will take hours or days to make itself obvious.
        – Saiboogu
        9 hours ago




        @papakias No, because gravity will pull on both the ISS and the astronaut the same. Drag will slow the ISS more rapidly due to surface area, but that effect will take hours or days to make itself obvious.
        – Saiboogu
        9 hours ago




        5




        5




        I would elaborate that the gravitational force on ISS is greater than on an astronaut as it has more mass, but also this mass makes it accelerate slower that if the same amount of force was applied to the astronaut. Things basically cancel out, and the gravitational acceleration is the same for everyone.
        – NikoNyrh
        7 hours ago




        I would elaborate that the gravitational force on ISS is greater than on an astronaut as it has more mass, but also this mass makes it accelerate slower that if the same amount of force was applied to the astronaut. Things basically cancel out, and the gravitational acceleration is the same for everyone.
        – NikoNyrh
        7 hours ago




        1




        1




        @Saiboogu, agreed, although if the astronaut was not tethered and even just 1 metre away from the ISS and completed a full orbit, the astronauts orbit would be fractionally different and therefore the ISS would move away very slightly, and each orbit that distance would increase, and now that i think about it the lighter astronaut would be more susceptable to atmospheric drag, even with how thin the atmosphere is at that altitude
        – Blade Wraith
        7 hours ago





        @Saiboogu, agreed, although if the astronaut was not tethered and even just 1 metre away from the ISS and completed a full orbit, the astronauts orbit would be fractionally different and therefore the ISS would move away very slightly, and each orbit that distance would increase, and now that i think about it the lighter astronaut would be more susceptable to atmospheric drag, even with how thin the atmosphere is at that altitude
        – Blade Wraith
        7 hours ago





        2




        2




        I would emphasize that there is no unaccelerated flight -- there's always some mass somewhere (stars, galaxies etc.). The key issue is that the masses are usually so far away that the resulting gravitational field can be considered homogeneous with very little error and thus affects bodies that are "close" to each other (close relative to the closest significant gravitational sources) equally. That would not be the case in low orbit, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/….
        – Peter A. Schneider
        6 hours ago





        I would emphasize that there is no unaccelerated flight -- there's always some mass somewhere (stars, galaxies etc.). The key issue is that the masses are usually so far away that the resulting gravitational field can be considered homogeneous with very little error and thus affects bodies that are "close" to each other (close relative to the closest significant gravitational sources) equally. That would not be the case in low orbit, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/….
        – Peter A. Schneider
        6 hours ago





        1




        1




        @BladeWraith, not quite. If the astronaut were 1 meter away, in a homogeneous gravity field, they would co-orbit each other, or, more likely, oscillate in distance to each other. Better visualization: youtube.com/watch?v=cxNJoaBLLNM -- And, atmospheric drag depends entirely on the relationship to surface area hitting the atmosphere relative to weight... which usually correlates to an object's density. Spacecraft being intentionally light, and usually quite hollow, a spacewalking human is more dense than the ISS, so will experience less atmospheric drag.
        – Ghedipunk
        2 hours ago




        @BladeWraith, not quite. If the astronaut were 1 meter away, in a homogeneous gravity field, they would co-orbit each other, or, more likely, oscillate in distance to each other. Better visualization: youtube.com/watch?v=cxNJoaBLLNM -- And, atmospheric drag depends entirely on the relationship to surface area hitting the atmosphere relative to weight... which usually correlates to an object's density. Spacecraft being intentionally light, and usually quite hollow, a spacewalking human is more dense than the ISS, so will experience less atmospheric drag.
        – Ghedipunk
        2 hours ago










        up vote
        12
        down vote













        I feel this sort of question benefits from a series of thought experiments.



        Imagine instead that you've got two astronauts, side by side, zipping through space at some constant speed.



        They're kind of sweet on each other so they're holding hands. Awwwww.



        But then they suffer a cruel change of heart and stop holding hands!



        What do you imagine would happen?



        Does anything change if one of the astronauts is much fatter than the other?



        If we replace the very fat astronaut with a spacecraft, does that change anything?



        (I'm asking these questions quasi-rhetorically, for the benefit of the original question-asker. No need to answer me in comments.)






        share|improve this answer
















        • 5




          What about the mutual gravity force? Until they hold their hands, they can remain at a fixed distance, but when they let go they slowly start approaching ;)
          – frarugi87
          7 hours ago






        • 2




          @frarugi87 how sweet! They can't avoid being nearer and nearer to each other...Awww :D
          – BlueCoder
          7 hours ago






        • 1




          If the partner of the very fat astronaut is replaced by a black hole the black hole gets to have vay fatty spaghetti for lunch.
          – Peter A. Schneider
          6 hours ago










        • @PeterA.Schneider If the partner is replaced by a black hole, there are two options: (1) you've just created mass from nowhere, pushing this wweeelllll out of the realm of predictable, or (2) the black hole evaporates instantly, turning the fat astronaut into a Pittsburgh Rare and / or superheated gas.
          – wizzwizz4
          1 hour ago






        • 1




          Re: gravity, note that the escape velocity of a 150kg astronaut+suit is only 56.06 nanometers / second. Good luck getting your velocity below that.
          – imallett
          1 hour ago














        up vote
        12
        down vote













        I feel this sort of question benefits from a series of thought experiments.



        Imagine instead that you've got two astronauts, side by side, zipping through space at some constant speed.



        They're kind of sweet on each other so they're holding hands. Awwwww.



        But then they suffer a cruel change of heart and stop holding hands!



        What do you imagine would happen?



        Does anything change if one of the astronauts is much fatter than the other?



        If we replace the very fat astronaut with a spacecraft, does that change anything?



        (I'm asking these questions quasi-rhetorically, for the benefit of the original question-asker. No need to answer me in comments.)






        share|improve this answer
















        • 5




          What about the mutual gravity force? Until they hold their hands, they can remain at a fixed distance, but when they let go they slowly start approaching ;)
          – frarugi87
          7 hours ago






        • 2




          @frarugi87 how sweet! They can't avoid being nearer and nearer to each other...Awww :D
          – BlueCoder
          7 hours ago






        • 1




          If the partner of the very fat astronaut is replaced by a black hole the black hole gets to have vay fatty spaghetti for lunch.
          – Peter A. Schneider
          6 hours ago










        • @PeterA.Schneider If the partner is replaced by a black hole, there are two options: (1) you've just created mass from nowhere, pushing this wweeelllll out of the realm of predictable, or (2) the black hole evaporates instantly, turning the fat astronaut into a Pittsburgh Rare and / or superheated gas.
          – wizzwizz4
          1 hour ago






        • 1




          Re: gravity, note that the escape velocity of a 150kg astronaut+suit is only 56.06 nanometers / second. Good luck getting your velocity below that.
          – imallett
          1 hour ago












        up vote
        12
        down vote










        up vote
        12
        down vote









        I feel this sort of question benefits from a series of thought experiments.



        Imagine instead that you've got two astronauts, side by side, zipping through space at some constant speed.



        They're kind of sweet on each other so they're holding hands. Awwwww.



        But then they suffer a cruel change of heart and stop holding hands!



        What do you imagine would happen?



        Does anything change if one of the astronauts is much fatter than the other?



        If we replace the very fat astronaut with a spacecraft, does that change anything?



        (I'm asking these questions quasi-rhetorically, for the benefit of the original question-asker. No need to answer me in comments.)






        share|improve this answer












        I feel this sort of question benefits from a series of thought experiments.



        Imagine instead that you've got two astronauts, side by side, zipping through space at some constant speed.



        They're kind of sweet on each other so they're holding hands. Awwwww.



        But then they suffer a cruel change of heart and stop holding hands!



        What do you imagine would happen?



        Does anything change if one of the astronauts is much fatter than the other?



        If we replace the very fat astronaut with a spacecraft, does that change anything?



        (I'm asking these questions quasi-rhetorically, for the benefit of the original question-asker. No need to answer me in comments.)







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 8 hours ago









        Roger

        57916




        57916







        • 5




          What about the mutual gravity force? Until they hold their hands, they can remain at a fixed distance, but when they let go they slowly start approaching ;)
          – frarugi87
          7 hours ago






        • 2




          @frarugi87 how sweet! They can't avoid being nearer and nearer to each other...Awww :D
          – BlueCoder
          7 hours ago






        • 1




          If the partner of the very fat astronaut is replaced by a black hole the black hole gets to have vay fatty spaghetti for lunch.
          – Peter A. Schneider
          6 hours ago










        • @PeterA.Schneider If the partner is replaced by a black hole, there are two options: (1) you've just created mass from nowhere, pushing this wweeelllll out of the realm of predictable, or (2) the black hole evaporates instantly, turning the fat astronaut into a Pittsburgh Rare and / or superheated gas.
          – wizzwizz4
          1 hour ago






        • 1




          Re: gravity, note that the escape velocity of a 150kg astronaut+suit is only 56.06 nanometers / second. Good luck getting your velocity below that.
          – imallett
          1 hour ago












        • 5




          What about the mutual gravity force? Until they hold their hands, they can remain at a fixed distance, but when they let go they slowly start approaching ;)
          – frarugi87
          7 hours ago






        • 2




          @frarugi87 how sweet! They can't avoid being nearer and nearer to each other...Awww :D
          – BlueCoder
          7 hours ago






        • 1




          If the partner of the very fat astronaut is replaced by a black hole the black hole gets to have vay fatty spaghetti for lunch.
          – Peter A. Schneider
          6 hours ago










        • @PeterA.Schneider If the partner is replaced by a black hole, there are two options: (1) you've just created mass from nowhere, pushing this wweeelllll out of the realm of predictable, or (2) the black hole evaporates instantly, turning the fat astronaut into a Pittsburgh Rare and / or superheated gas.
          – wizzwizz4
          1 hour ago






        • 1




          Re: gravity, note that the escape velocity of a 150kg astronaut+suit is only 56.06 nanometers / second. Good luck getting your velocity below that.
          – imallett
          1 hour ago







        5




        5




        What about the mutual gravity force? Until they hold their hands, they can remain at a fixed distance, but when they let go they slowly start approaching ;)
        – frarugi87
        7 hours ago




        What about the mutual gravity force? Until they hold their hands, they can remain at a fixed distance, but when they let go they slowly start approaching ;)
        – frarugi87
        7 hours ago




        2




        2




        @frarugi87 how sweet! They can't avoid being nearer and nearer to each other...Awww :D
        – BlueCoder
        7 hours ago




        @frarugi87 how sweet! They can't avoid being nearer and nearer to each other...Awww :D
        – BlueCoder
        7 hours ago




        1




        1




        If the partner of the very fat astronaut is replaced by a black hole the black hole gets to have vay fatty spaghetti for lunch.
        – Peter A. Schneider
        6 hours ago




        If the partner of the very fat astronaut is replaced by a black hole the black hole gets to have vay fatty spaghetti for lunch.
        – Peter A. Schneider
        6 hours ago












        @PeterA.Schneider If the partner is replaced by a black hole, there are two options: (1) you've just created mass from nowhere, pushing this wweeelllll out of the realm of predictable, or (2) the black hole evaporates instantly, turning the fat astronaut into a Pittsburgh Rare and / or superheated gas.
        – wizzwizz4
        1 hour ago




        @PeterA.Schneider If the partner is replaced by a black hole, there are two options: (1) you've just created mass from nowhere, pushing this wweeelllll out of the realm of predictable, or (2) the black hole evaporates instantly, turning the fat astronaut into a Pittsburgh Rare and / or superheated gas.
        – wizzwizz4
        1 hour ago




        1




        1




        Re: gravity, note that the escape velocity of a 150kg astronaut+suit is only 56.06 nanometers / second. Good luck getting your velocity below that.
        – imallett
        1 hour ago




        Re: gravity, note that the escape velocity of a 150kg astronaut+suit is only 56.06 nanometers / second. Good luck getting your velocity below that.
        – imallett
        1 hour ago










        up vote
        4
        down vote













        Another way to think is to consider two space walking astronauts; one inside the ship and one outside. Neither is touching the ship, both are moving at essentially the same speed in the same direction. All three pretty much stay together.



        However, there could be a teeny tiny amount of acceleration experienced by each. For example, at an extremely high velocity, even the tiny impulse caused by each interstellar proton hitting a body can cause a bit of drag. The "indoor" space walker won't experience it, and so won't be slowed at all, but the ship will, and so will the "outdoor" space walker. It's not clear which one would be affected more, it depends on their cross-sectional areas and masses.



        Then there are tidal effects. If there is a distant gravitational source, and there always is, that will accelerate all three the same. But if you are fairly close to a source of gravity, then it is possible that it affects them slightly differently because they will each have a very slightly different distance from the source.



        For more on that see answers to Lowest ISS microgravity and for fun see How to get sunburned through the window of a General Products hull?



        And before your ship does another neutron-star flyby to accelerate so fast, remember that what humans call UV is not the only thing that gets through a General Products Hull!






        share|improve this answer


























          up vote
          4
          down vote













          Another way to think is to consider two space walking astronauts; one inside the ship and one outside. Neither is touching the ship, both are moving at essentially the same speed in the same direction. All three pretty much stay together.



          However, there could be a teeny tiny amount of acceleration experienced by each. For example, at an extremely high velocity, even the tiny impulse caused by each interstellar proton hitting a body can cause a bit of drag. The "indoor" space walker won't experience it, and so won't be slowed at all, but the ship will, and so will the "outdoor" space walker. It's not clear which one would be affected more, it depends on their cross-sectional areas and masses.



          Then there are tidal effects. If there is a distant gravitational source, and there always is, that will accelerate all three the same. But if you are fairly close to a source of gravity, then it is possible that it affects them slightly differently because they will each have a very slightly different distance from the source.



          For more on that see answers to Lowest ISS microgravity and for fun see How to get sunburned through the window of a General Products hull?



          And before your ship does another neutron-star flyby to accelerate so fast, remember that what humans call UV is not the only thing that gets through a General Products Hull!






          share|improve this answer
























            up vote
            4
            down vote










            up vote
            4
            down vote









            Another way to think is to consider two space walking astronauts; one inside the ship and one outside. Neither is touching the ship, both are moving at essentially the same speed in the same direction. All three pretty much stay together.



            However, there could be a teeny tiny amount of acceleration experienced by each. For example, at an extremely high velocity, even the tiny impulse caused by each interstellar proton hitting a body can cause a bit of drag. The "indoor" space walker won't experience it, and so won't be slowed at all, but the ship will, and so will the "outdoor" space walker. It's not clear which one would be affected more, it depends on their cross-sectional areas and masses.



            Then there are tidal effects. If there is a distant gravitational source, and there always is, that will accelerate all three the same. But if you are fairly close to a source of gravity, then it is possible that it affects them slightly differently because they will each have a very slightly different distance from the source.



            For more on that see answers to Lowest ISS microgravity and for fun see How to get sunburned through the window of a General Products hull?



            And before your ship does another neutron-star flyby to accelerate so fast, remember that what humans call UV is not the only thing that gets through a General Products Hull!






            share|improve this answer














            Another way to think is to consider two space walking astronauts; one inside the ship and one outside. Neither is touching the ship, both are moving at essentially the same speed in the same direction. All three pretty much stay together.



            However, there could be a teeny tiny amount of acceleration experienced by each. For example, at an extremely high velocity, even the tiny impulse caused by each interstellar proton hitting a body can cause a bit of drag. The "indoor" space walker won't experience it, and so won't be slowed at all, but the ship will, and so will the "outdoor" space walker. It's not clear which one would be affected more, it depends on their cross-sectional areas and masses.



            Then there are tidal effects. If there is a distant gravitational source, and there always is, that will accelerate all three the same. But if you are fairly close to a source of gravity, then it is possible that it affects them slightly differently because they will each have a very slightly different distance from the source.



            For more on that see answers to Lowest ISS microgravity and for fun see How to get sunburned through the window of a General Products hull?



            And before your ship does another neutron-star flyby to accelerate so fast, remember that what humans call UV is not the only thing that gets through a General Products Hull!







            share|improve this answer














            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer








            edited 7 hours ago

























            answered 8 hours ago









            uhoh

            31.5k15109390




            31.5k15109390




















                up vote
                2
                down vote













                Let's tackle this with a slightly different question:




                Which falls faster? A bowling ball or a feather?




                Now, everyone knows the feather will fall slowly, but that's because the feather has a massive surface area to catch the air around it. Without air resistance they fall at the same rate (see the video below for a most impressive display of that principle)








                If an astronaut exits a spacecraft moving at 17,000 mph, they're still moving at a relative 17,000 mph because there's nothing to slow the astronaut down.






                share|improve this answer
















                • 2




                  Actually the hammer falls somewhat faster (if the objects fall not together but one after the other) because it pulls the earth towards itself just a tad stronger, so that the two collide a bit earlier. (My 10 year old remarked that when I suggested the feather/hammer experiment. Ouch.)
                  – Peter A. Schneider
                  6 hours ago










                • @PeterA.Schneider The difference is negligible. The formula for gravitational attraction (when you account for the mass of the Earth) bears this out (I had a physics teacher make us do that math). Either way, the experiment shows how a vacuum changes things
                  – Machavity
                  6 hours ago















                up vote
                2
                down vote













                Let's tackle this with a slightly different question:




                Which falls faster? A bowling ball or a feather?




                Now, everyone knows the feather will fall slowly, but that's because the feather has a massive surface area to catch the air around it. Without air resistance they fall at the same rate (see the video below for a most impressive display of that principle)








                If an astronaut exits a spacecraft moving at 17,000 mph, they're still moving at a relative 17,000 mph because there's nothing to slow the astronaut down.






                share|improve this answer
















                • 2




                  Actually the hammer falls somewhat faster (if the objects fall not together but one after the other) because it pulls the earth towards itself just a tad stronger, so that the two collide a bit earlier. (My 10 year old remarked that when I suggested the feather/hammer experiment. Ouch.)
                  – Peter A. Schneider
                  6 hours ago










                • @PeterA.Schneider The difference is negligible. The formula for gravitational attraction (when you account for the mass of the Earth) bears this out (I had a physics teacher make us do that math). Either way, the experiment shows how a vacuum changes things
                  – Machavity
                  6 hours ago













                up vote
                2
                down vote










                up vote
                2
                down vote









                Let's tackle this with a slightly different question:




                Which falls faster? A bowling ball or a feather?




                Now, everyone knows the feather will fall slowly, but that's because the feather has a massive surface area to catch the air around it. Without air resistance they fall at the same rate (see the video below for a most impressive display of that principle)








                If an astronaut exits a spacecraft moving at 17,000 mph, they're still moving at a relative 17,000 mph because there's nothing to slow the astronaut down.






                share|improve this answer












                Let's tackle this with a slightly different question:




                Which falls faster? A bowling ball or a feather?




                Now, everyone knows the feather will fall slowly, but that's because the feather has a massive surface area to catch the air around it. Without air resistance they fall at the same rate (see the video below for a most impressive display of that principle)








                If an astronaut exits a spacecraft moving at 17,000 mph, they're still moving at a relative 17,000 mph because there's nothing to slow the astronaut down.















                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered 6 hours ago









                Machavity

                2,0731734




                2,0731734







                • 2




                  Actually the hammer falls somewhat faster (if the objects fall not together but one after the other) because it pulls the earth towards itself just a tad stronger, so that the two collide a bit earlier. (My 10 year old remarked that when I suggested the feather/hammer experiment. Ouch.)
                  – Peter A. Schneider
                  6 hours ago










                • @PeterA.Schneider The difference is negligible. The formula for gravitational attraction (when you account for the mass of the Earth) bears this out (I had a physics teacher make us do that math). Either way, the experiment shows how a vacuum changes things
                  – Machavity
                  6 hours ago













                • 2




                  Actually the hammer falls somewhat faster (if the objects fall not together but one after the other) because it pulls the earth towards itself just a tad stronger, so that the two collide a bit earlier. (My 10 year old remarked that when I suggested the feather/hammer experiment. Ouch.)
                  – Peter A. Schneider
                  6 hours ago










                • @PeterA.Schneider The difference is negligible. The formula for gravitational attraction (when you account for the mass of the Earth) bears this out (I had a physics teacher make us do that math). Either way, the experiment shows how a vacuum changes things
                  – Machavity
                  6 hours ago








                2




                2




                Actually the hammer falls somewhat faster (if the objects fall not together but one after the other) because it pulls the earth towards itself just a tad stronger, so that the two collide a bit earlier. (My 10 year old remarked that when I suggested the feather/hammer experiment. Ouch.)
                – Peter A. Schneider
                6 hours ago




                Actually the hammer falls somewhat faster (if the objects fall not together but one after the other) because it pulls the earth towards itself just a tad stronger, so that the two collide a bit earlier. (My 10 year old remarked that when I suggested the feather/hammer experiment. Ouch.)
                – Peter A. Schneider
                6 hours ago












                @PeterA.Schneider The difference is negligible. The formula for gravitational attraction (when you account for the mass of the Earth) bears this out (I had a physics teacher make us do that math). Either way, the experiment shows how a vacuum changes things
                – Machavity
                6 hours ago





                @PeterA.Schneider The difference is negligible. The formula for gravitational attraction (when you account for the mass of the Earth) bears this out (I had a physics teacher make us do that math). Either way, the experiment shows how a vacuum changes things
                – Machavity
                6 hours ago











                up vote
                2
                down vote













                no, conservation of momentum is retained (an object in motion will remain in motion unless something acts upon it)...similar to being in an airplane and throwing a ball up in the air...seems like it should fly to the back of the airplane, but it won't...it'll act just like you were on the ground.






                share|improve this answer








                New contributor




                Joseph is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.





















                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote













                  no, conservation of momentum is retained (an object in motion will remain in motion unless something acts upon it)...similar to being in an airplane and throwing a ball up in the air...seems like it should fly to the back of the airplane, but it won't...it'll act just like you were on the ground.






                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  Joseph is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.



















                    up vote
                    2
                    down vote










                    up vote
                    2
                    down vote









                    no, conservation of momentum is retained (an object in motion will remain in motion unless something acts upon it)...similar to being in an airplane and throwing a ball up in the air...seems like it should fly to the back of the airplane, but it won't...it'll act just like you were on the ground.






                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    Joseph is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.









                    no, conservation of momentum is retained (an object in motion will remain in motion unless something acts upon it)...similar to being in an airplane and throwing a ball up in the air...seems like it should fly to the back of the airplane, but it won't...it'll act just like you were on the ground.







                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    Joseph is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.









                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer






                    New contributor




                    Joseph is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.









                    answered 3 hours ago









                    Joseph

                    211




                    211




                    New contributor




                    Joseph is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.





                    New contributor





                    Joseph is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






                    Joseph is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.




















                        up vote
                        0
                        down vote














                        A brave Astronaut is leaving the spacecraft to a space walk, while not being attached to the spacecraft.



                        Will the astronaut



                        hover near the spacecraft at the same speed as it (1/X of speed of light), or



                        be quickly behind the spacecraft and will watch it disappear in the black horizon?




                        Newton's First Law of Motion ("an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force") means that the astronaut -- who is traveling at the same speed and direction as the ship while inside the ship -- will continue traveling at the same speed and direction as the ship when he steps out of it.






                        share|improve this answer
























                          up vote
                          0
                          down vote














                          A brave Astronaut is leaving the spacecraft to a space walk, while not being attached to the spacecraft.



                          Will the astronaut



                          hover near the spacecraft at the same speed as it (1/X of speed of light), or



                          be quickly behind the spacecraft and will watch it disappear in the black horizon?




                          Newton's First Law of Motion ("an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force") means that the astronaut -- who is traveling at the same speed and direction as the ship while inside the ship -- will continue traveling at the same speed and direction as the ship when he steps out of it.






                          share|improve this answer






















                            up vote
                            0
                            down vote










                            up vote
                            0
                            down vote










                            A brave Astronaut is leaving the spacecraft to a space walk, while not being attached to the spacecraft.



                            Will the astronaut



                            hover near the spacecraft at the same speed as it (1/X of speed of light), or



                            be quickly behind the spacecraft and will watch it disappear in the black horizon?




                            Newton's First Law of Motion ("an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force") means that the astronaut -- who is traveling at the same speed and direction as the ship while inside the ship -- will continue traveling at the same speed and direction as the ship when he steps out of it.






                            share|improve this answer













                            A brave Astronaut is leaving the spacecraft to a space walk, while not being attached to the spacecraft.



                            Will the astronaut



                            hover near the spacecraft at the same speed as it (1/X of speed of light), or



                            be quickly behind the spacecraft and will watch it disappear in the black horizon?




                            Newton's First Law of Motion ("an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force") means that the astronaut -- who is traveling at the same speed and direction as the ship while inside the ship -- will continue traveling at the same speed and direction as the ship when he steps out of it.







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered 55 mins ago









                            RonJohn

                            1999




                            1999




















                                riorio is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.









                                 

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