A spacewalking astronaut is stranded a few meters from the space station door. His jet pack is broken, but he can take it off and toss it in order to propel himself toward the door. In what direction should he toss it?
In order to propel himself toward the door, the astronaut should toss the jet pack in the opposite direction of the door. According to Newton's third law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When the astronaut throws the jet pack away from him, he will gain an equal and opposite momentum that propels him in the direction of the door.
