Concept:Weightlessness is the state in which the apparent weight of a body becomes zero because no support or reaction force acts on it.
Explanation:A person feels weight because the floor or ground pushes upward against the body.
In a spaceship orbiting the Earth, both the ship and the astronaut are accelerating towards the Earth at the same rate,
g.
Therefore, the floor of the spaceship does not push against the astronaut.
The astronaut’s apparent weight becomes zero, so they float freely inside the spaceship.
This is the same as continuous free fall under the Earth’s gravitational field.
Walking on a planet gives a normal reaction force, so weight is still felt.
Being between the Sun and the Earth does not remove gravity, so it does not explain weightlessness.
Answer:The correct option is A — the crew member experiences weightlessness when freely falling in the Earth’s gravitational field.