You wouldn't need any force to keep the ball moving.
Here's why:
* No Air Resistance: In the vacuum of space, there's no air to create friction and slow the ball down. On Earth, you throw a ball and it eventually stops because air resistance slows it down.
* Newton's First Law: This law states that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion at a constant speed and direction unless acted upon by a net force. In space, once you throw the ball, there's no force to change its motion.
So, what happens to the ball?
* Constant Velocity: The ball will continue moving at the velocity you gave it, in a straight line, forever.
* Gravity: The only force acting on the ball is gravity. If the ball is near a planet or other large object, it will be pulled towards that object, causing it to change direction and speed.
Think of it like this: Imagine a perfectly smooth, frictionless surface on Earth. If you slid a ball across it, the ball would keep going forever unless something stopped it. Space is like that frictionless surface!
