an astronaut on a space walk floats a little too far away from the space station. without air to push…

an astronaut on a space walk floats a little too far away from the space station. without air to push against, he cannot paddle back. however, the astronaut is holding a hammer. explain how the astronaut could use the hammer to move and why this will get him back to the space station.

an astronaut on a space walk floats a little too far away from the space station. without air to push against, he cannot paddle back. however, the astronaut is holding a hammer. explain how the astronaut could use the hammer to move and why this will get him back to the space station.

Answer

Brief Explanation:

According to Newton's third - law of motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If the astronaut throws the hammer in the direction opposite to the space - station, the reaction force from the throw will act on the astronaut in the direction of the space - station, propelling the astronaut towards it.

Answer:

The astronaut can throw the hammer in the direction opposite to the space - station. This will work because of Newton's third law of motion. When the astronaut exerts a force on the hammer to throw it, the hammer exerts an equal and opposite force on the astronaut, pushing the astronaut back towards the space - station.