---
title: "Which of the following best explains why astronauts experience weightlessness while orbiting the earth?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/22696/"
date_modified: "2025-09-23T03:31:05+00:00"
---

# Which of the following best explains why astronauts experience weightlessness while orbiting the earth?

Which of the following best explains why astronauts experience weightlessness while orbiting the earth?

- **A.** The spaceship is traveling at a constant velocity.
- **B.** The centripetal force on the astronaut is zero.
- **C.** The force of gravity is very small because the astronaut is far away from the planet.
- **D.** The spaceship is in free fall.
- **E.** The gravitational pull from the sun cancels out the gravitational pull from the earth.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/22696/*