If you are in a spacecraft that has been launched into space, your weight would

Options

A. increase because gravitational force is increasing.
B. increase because gravitational force is decreasing.
C. decrease because gravitational force is decreasing.
D. decrease because gravitational force is increasing.

Answer

To solve the question, "If you are in a spacecraft that has been launched into space, your weight would," we will analyze the effects of gravity on weight when moving away from Earth.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Weight**:
- Weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity. It can be calculated using the formula:
\[ \text{Weight} = \text{mass} \times \text{gravitational acceleration} \]
- On Earth, gravitational acceleration is approximately \(9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2\).

2. **Gravitational Force**:
- According to Newton's Law of Gravitation, the gravitational force \(F_g\) between two objects is given by:
\[ F_g = \frac{G \cdot M_1 \cdot M_2}{r^2} \]
- Here, \(G\) is the gravitational constant, \(M_1\) and \(M_2\) are the masses of the two objects (in this case, Earth and the spacecraft), and \(r\) is the distance between the centers of the two masses.

3. **Distance in Space**:
- As the spacecraft moves away from Earth, the distance \(r\) (the separation distance between the spacecraft and Earth) increases. This means that \(r\) is getting larger.

4. **Effect of Increasing Distance**:
- Since gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance (\(r^2\)), as \(r\) increases, the gravitational force \(F_g\) decreases.
- Therefore, the gravitational force acting on the spacecraft (and thus its weight) will decrease as it moves further away from Earth.

5. **Conclusion**:
- As a result, if you are in a spacecraft that has been launched into space, your weight would **decrease** because the gravitational force acting on you decreases as you move further away from Earth.

### Final Answer:
Your weight would decrease because the gravitational force decreases as you move away from Earth.