Answer: B - The gravitational force is weaker when the rocket is higher.
The gravitational force between two objects depends on their masses and the distance between them. According to Newton's law of gravitation, the force of gravity between two objects is directly proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
As a rocket moves higher above the Earth's surface, the distance between the rocket and the Earth's center increases. Since the gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, this means that the force of gravity acting on the rocket decreases as it moves higher.
This can be understood by considering the Earth's gravitational field, which can be thought of as a series of concentric spheres emanating from the center of the Earth. The strength of the gravitational field decreases with distance from the center of the Earth, as the surface area of the sphere at each distance from the center increases.
Therefore, as a rocket moves higher, it moves into regions of weaker gravitational field, which causes the force of gravity acting on it to decrease. This is why astronauts in orbit around the Earth experience a sensation of weightlessness, as they are effectively free-falling around the Earth due to the balance between their forward velocity and the pull of gravity.
