- #1
steven10137
- 118
- 0
Homework Statement
An astronaut working in the cargo bay of a space shuttle accidentally released the lifeline when picking up a toolbox. The mission control computers quickly calculated the astronaut was drifting away from the space shuttle at a constant speed of 0.350m/s. The astronaut, toolbox and space suit had a combined mass of 187.5kg and the space shuttle had a total mass of 6.55x10^3 kg
a) What is the gravitational attraction between the astronaut with equipment and the space shuttle when their centres of mass are 8.00m apart?
b) Explain how the astronaut could use the toolbox of mass 17.5 kg to get back to the cargo bay within about 20 seconds when she is 10m away.
Homework Equations
[tex]
\begin{array}{l}
F = \frac{{Gm_1 m_2 }}{{r^2 }} \\
v = \frac{s}{t} \\
\end{array}
[/tex]
The Attempt at a Solution
a)
[tex]
\;F = \frac{{Gm_1 m_2 }}{{r^2 }} = \frac{{\left( {6.67 \times 10^{ - 11} } \right)\left( {187.5} \right)\left( {6.55 \times 10^3 } \right)}}{{\left( {8.00} \right)^2 }} = 1.28 \times 10^{ - 6} \;N
[/tex]
Right?
b) I'm a little confused here.
The only thing I could think of involving the toolbox is to drop it, but how would that make her drop back to the cargo bay??
Thanks
Steven