No
People at the poles are not heavier because of the lack of the centripetal force. You're getting confused between weight (Kg) and mass (N). If you could all remember back to GCSE school years, you'd know that f=1/d showing that force is inversly proportional to distance. That only affects mass.
If you had an astronaut in space, he wouldn't
weigh less, but have a different mass. (Bearing in mind that mass is the force of gravity acting on an object or particle) Remember Haley's (not sure of spelling) comet? As it goes around the sun it speeds up. All must remember Armageddon (the film) where they go around the moon and zoom of at how many thousands of kmph! It's the same here, the closer you are to an object having a force proportional to its mass, the more that force will act on you. Same as a high G turn/climb/whatever..
Sorted!
Surprised how much I remember from science lessons
[ 16 August 2001: Message edited by: FlyFreeWbe ]