"David CL Francis" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 15 Dec 2003 at 17:52:06 in message
, Peter Duniho

wrote:

No, I'm talking weight. Mass is not a force. The acceleration toward
Earth
is caused by a force. What force? Weight.

A large amount of quote is not necessary here. The object in orbit or in
any trajectory around a massive object is in free fall. The path of the
object caused by gravitational attraction means that there is no force
measurable on the object (If you happened to be part of it.) If we want
to be very precise then you might detect the gravitational gradient
across the object if it had significant dimensions. Otherwise, except by
external observations, you would be unable to detect acceleration to
provide 'weight'.

No one denies the force of gravity except in the sense that other
theories claim that the effect of a large mass is to distort space.

I see now at last what you are talking about, but to call the force of
gravity 'weight' seems curious to me. Weight cannot be detected except
when a body is not in free fall. So in orbit an object has no weight.
Gravity enables 'weight' on objects that are on the surface of a body to
be measured. Astronauts cannot weigh things in orbit.

But can they lay things in orbit?

--
David CL Francis