select the directional arrow to place in the ...
select the directional arrow to place in the box to best show the direction the space station will travel if earth were no longer exerting a gravitational force on the space station.
Answer
# Answer:
C. →
# Explanation:
## Step1: Recall Newton's first law
An object in motion will continue in a straight - line motion at a constant speed if no net force acts on it.
## Step2: Analyze the space - station situation
When Earth's gravitational force no longer acts on the space station, the space station will move in a straight - line tangent to its previous circular path. This is because the gravitational force was previously providing the centripetal force for the circular motion. Without it, the station follows a straight - line path in the direction of its instantaneous velocity at the moment the force ceased, which is a straight line tangent to the circular orbit, represented by a horizontal arrow (→).