A space probe is moving in a circular orbit around Saturn with its engines switched off.
A student says, “There is no gravity in space, so the probe just keeps going round Saturn on its own.”
Explain why the student is wrong. Then predict what would happen to the path of the probe if Saturn's gravitational attraction suddenly stopped acting on it.
84 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Physics 8.1 Solar system; stability of orbital motions; satellites, covering 8.1.1 Our solar system, 8.1.2 The life cycle of a star, and 8.1.3 Orbital motion, natural and artificial satellites. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.