Passage The Effects of Gravity Are Effectively Negated If an Object

Passage
The effects of gravity are effectively negated if an object is in free fall.  For example, an object orbiting the Earth experiences an apparent weightlessness known as microgravity.  Because the human body evolved under the influence of Earth's gravity, human physiology undergoes several changes in microgravity environments.  Puffy face syndrome (PFS) occurs when an astronaut's extracellular fluid shifts toward upper body regions, resulting in facial bulging and leg shrinkage.  Elongation of the spinal column also occurs as intervertebral discs (spinal cartilage) decompress, making astronauts up to 6 cm taller.Researchers simulated microgravity-induced spinal elongation on Earth by suspending 50 volunteers by the arms, holding each above the ground in an upright position.  The thickness of each intervertebral disc was measured prior to and following 10 minutes of suspension.  Researchers then compared the percentage change in intervertebral disc thickness to similar measurements recorded in microgravity, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1  Percentage change in intervertebral disc thicknessIn theory, spinal elongation would also occur in reduced-gravity environments like the surface of the Moon, where the acceleration of gravity is one-sixth that observed on the Earth's surface.
-An astronaut drifts through space alongside the edge of a spaceship.  The astronaut moves as a rigid body with constant velocity and no rotation.  Which of the following occurs when the astronaut strikes a protruding portion of the spaceship with her foot?  The astronaut:

A) slows down and continues along her original path with no rotation.
B) turns upside down and slowly falls to the ship's surface.
C) continues along her original path while spinning about her center of mass.
D) stops, spins about the protrusion, and falls to the ship.

Correct Answer:

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