Answer:
(4) weight
Explanation:
The centripetal force acting on the space shuttle in orbit is given by:
where
m is the mass of the shuttle
v is the tangential speed of the shuttle
r is the radius of its circular orbit
When the shuttle orbits the Earth, the centripetal force that keeps the shuttle in circular motion is given by the gravitational attraction between the shuttle and the Earth, which corresponds to the weight of the shuttle, and it is given by:
where
G is the gravitational constant
M is the Earth's mass
And this force, therefore, corresponds to the centripetal force.