Forces are pushes and pulls that govern everything in the universe. They can cause things to move, speed up, slow down, change direction, or even change the shape of things. The following activities will help students grasp force and motion so they can better understand the world around them.
A Soyuz re-entry capsule just after the parachute has been released
Drag
A Soyuz re-entry capsule at rest on the ground
Force Diagram
The Soyuz orbital module is in orbit. Even though it's speed may be constant it's velocity is changing as it changing direction. Forces are unbalanced. The only force acting on the module is its weight.
Weight
Drag
The Soyuz orbital module is in orbit. Even though it's speed may be constant it's velocity is changing as it changing direction. Forces are unbalanced. The only force acting on the module is its weight.
Weight
The capsule is decelerating so the forces aren't balanced. The drag from the parachute must be larger than the weight of the parachute and the capsule.
Weight
The forces are balanced, as the capsule is not moving. The reaction force acting on the capsule from the ground is equal and opposite to the weight of the capsule.
Weight
Reaction force
Image Attributions:Soyuz Spacecraft in Orbit (https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons/9457864309/) - NASA on The Commons - License: No known copyright restrictions (http://flickr.com/commons/usage/)Expedition 29 Landing (https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/12866388595/) - NASA Goddard Photo and Video - License: Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)Flight: Old and New (https://www.flickr.com/photos/kjfnjy/7201142356/) - Ken and Nyetta - License: Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)sky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/onaniena/5832031347/) - ONaniena - License: Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)