This is for science fiction I'm working on. Basically I have a spaceship that transports detachable cargo boxes (which would weigh like 10,000 pounds or so). In deep space the box detaches and one of the crew members goes out on a tether and grabs it. The ship keeps moving and he holds onto the box dragging it through space.

 

Ok so I figure that much is definitely possible, but what if the ship slows and the box keeps drifting towards it. Would he be able stop what little forward momentum the box had by putting himself between it and the ship without being smashed? Would he be able to push the box around a little if he was sort of using the more massive ship as grounding?

This is for science fiction I'm working on. Basically I have a spaceship that transports detachable cargo boxes (which would weigh like 10,000 pounds or so). In deep space the box detaches and one of the crew members goes out on a tether and grabs it. The ship keeps moving and he holds onto the box dragging it through space.

 

Ok so I figure that much is definitely possible, but what if the ship slows and the box keeps drifting towards it. Would he be able stop what little forward momentum the box had by putting himself between it and the ship without being smashed? Would he be able to push the box around a little if he was sort of using the more massive ship as grounding?

 

Well... I've certainly managed to fend off a 5 ton boat (and much larger in calm conditions), moving at slow speed, from a dock or wharf...

 

It's all a matter of how hard you push, for how long, and how fast it is moving/converging. a=F/m

Edited December 31, 201015 yr by J.C.MacSwell

It rather depends on the speed difference. A heavy enough object moving slowly will simply crush you very slowly. I suggest you find out how many pounds force must be applied to the cargo to stop it. This could be either using Force = mass * acceleration if the ship is constantly accelerating, or using distance = (1/2) a t^2 + vt with the distance set to the person's height, if there is just a speed difference v.