Scientific Error Spreading:
A McDonald's wrapper informs us, "In space, you can jump six times higher." Only in those parts of space (which are often not even thought of as quite "in space," though I suppose under some definitions they qualify) where the gravitational field is quite right.
Thanks to this site for confirming the text (I failed to save the wrapper, so I'm working from a two-day-old memory), and for getting there first.
The more grievous scientific error is the assumption that McDonald's is food, though perhaps EV, disgusted, just looked at the wrapper and tossed the "hamburger." Living in NYC, the land of amazing one-off fast food restaurants of every nationality and ethnicity, I am always amazed by the long lines at McDonald's.
My favorite part of the voyage is when they're outside the earth's gravitational field.
That's when you need velcro.
The Earth's gravitational field extends out over one million kilometers. I believe the shuttle operates within one thousand kilometers. The Earth's gravitational field is not significantly weaker at that distance.
If the Earth's gravitational field weren't there, you couldn't maintain a state of continuous free fall and you'd just shoot off into space without constantly adjusting your direction with some kind of thrust.
you seem to have knowledge so I'll ask you: why, when the astronauts spacewalk, are they not separated from the shuttle? (somehow this question has stuck in my mind lately.)
1) They're usually tethered, though there is the Manned Maneuvering Unit that is self-contained and not tethered.
2) There's nothing pulling them away from the shuttle.
If an astronaut, untethered, were to decide to jump away from the shuttle, he'd enter a slightly different orbit than the one that the shuttle is in. Depending on the direction of the jump, he might enter an orbit that intersects the shuttle's every 45 minutes (and therefore be rescuable), or much more likely, enter one that only intersects the shuttle every few weeks or even few months.
On the other hand, the shuttle does have some (but not much) maneuvering capability, so if he did jump, have a thruster malfunction, or whatever, they could go grab him.
Your question may be generated by the difference between the atmosphere at the earth's surface and the atmosphere at shuttle orbit.
If you step away from a massive object like a train, the train keeps moving forward while you fall behind. This is for two reasons: 1. the train is continuously applying power so that air resistance does not slow it down, and 2. you do not have any power to apply so the air resistance to your forward motion slows you down dramatically. Nevertheless for a brief moment after you step off the train, you maintain position with it, then air resistance slows you down.
In orbit, there is very little air resistance. As a result, the shuttle does not continuously apply power to maintain the same velocity, it merely relys on the power it had applied earlier to get it in orbit. Similarly, when the astronaut steps off the shuttle, there is no air resistance to slow him down, so he simply maintains position with the shuttle.
In space, which way is down! Which way is down!
Oh, the horror. First they try to make the poor kids obese. Now they're trying to make them ignorant, too.
Wrong order. They* made them ignorant first, so they could make themselves fat.
*The teachers union controlled public schools.
(Yes, yes, I know.)
* For purposes of this discussion, please assume that "the moon" refers to Earth's principal satellite, also known as "Luna", rather than some other moon. (There's a "The Tick" joke here that I'm conciously not making, BTW.) (Of course, I'm slyly referring to that joke to make you think it's better than I'm sure it would be were I to actually make it.) (But then I'm spoiling that by making a meta-comment about its lameness.) (But the meta-comment is a joke in itself.) (You might notice a recursive theme here.)
You do have the potential to jump six times higher somewhere in space.
At Six Flags, you can ride a wooden roller coaster.
Bu bu but, only if you are at a wooden roller coaster!! There are metal ones, too!
Still, the statement is true.
Quite some time ago I had a minor fit regarding a toy they distributed promoting the movie Robots. It was a little "action figure" of one of the characters, along with a metal plate that he could be displayed on. According to the instructions that came with the toy, when the character was positioned on the plate, a light on his head would "magically" light up. I found a delightful irony in the fact that they would have a toy robot - an icon of high technology - and still refer to a simple electrical circuit as "magic." That was another teaching moment.
Also, if we get to use the "those parts of space" qualifier, Earth is very clearly in space. In space, you can jump six times as high as you can jump in space.
On Earth, you can swim twenty times as fast! (comparing those parts of Earth that have water to those that have somewhat dense mud)
Re: gravitational fields
Gravitational fields extend infinitely in all directions at some strength or another. The force of gravity at a distance R can be approximately described by: G = 1/R^2
For G to be zero, R^2 must be infinite.