How Do You Calculate Spring Constant for Launching a Satellite?

[babbagee]

You are asked to design a spring that will give a 1160 kg satellite a speed of 2.85 m/s relative to an orbiting space shuttle. Your spring is to give the satellite a maximum acceleration of 5.00g. The spring's mass, the recoil kinetic energy of the shuttle, and changes in gravitational potential energy will all be negligible.

What must the force constant of the spring be?

What distance must the spring be compressed?

I don't know where to start with on this one. Can someone please start me off with this one.

 

[mathmike]

f = k (l - l0) would be a good place

 

[daveed]

Also, you might want to try EPE=1/2 kx

 

[FredGarvin]

Since you are also given a max acceleration, F=ma would be worth noting as well.