The gravitational acceleration on the moon is about one-sixth the size of the gravitational acceleration on Earth. According to Newton’s second law of motion, what happens to an astronaut who goes to the moon?

Weight is the gravitational force on an object, calculated using Newton’s second law: weight = mass × gravitational acceleration. The astronaut’s mass stays the same, but the Moon’s gravitational acceleration is about one-sixth of Earth’s, so the astronaut’s weight decreases. Therefore, the correct choice is “The astronaut’s weight decreases because the moon’s gravitational acceleration is less than Earth’s.”

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