A 70kg accidentally loses his safety line while drifting in space 4m from the space shuttle. To get back he removes a 5.3kg tool from his belt and throws it at 16m/s away from the shuttle. How fast will he move towards the shuttle
The answer to this question can be found using the law of conservation of momentum. The momentum of the astronaut and the tool before the tool is thrown is 70kg x 0m/s + 5.3kg x 0m/s = 0. After the tool is thrown, the momentum of the astronaut and the tool is 70kg x v + 5.3kg x 16m/s = 0. Solving for v, we get v = -2.4m/s. Therefore, the astronaut will move towards the shuttle at a speed of 2.4m/s.
