How Long Does It Take to Orbit the Moon at an Altitude of 100km?

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the orbital period of a spacecraft orbiting the Moon at an altitude of 100 km. It requires understanding gravitational forces and orbital mechanics, specifically applying relevant equations to determine the time taken for one complete orbit.

Discussion Character

  • Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the application of gravitational equations to find orbital velocity and period. There are attempts to correct initial calculations and verify the results through re-evaluation of the radius and velocity equations.

Discussion Status

The discussion has seen multiple calculations and corrections, with participants actively engaging in checking each other's work. Some have identified arithmetic errors and provided feedback, leading to revised estimates of the orbital period.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the constraints of homework guidelines, which may limit the use of external resources or direct solutions. There is an ongoing exploration of assumptions regarding the radius used in calculations.

balletgirl
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Homework Statement



During an Apollo lunar landing mission, the command module continued to orbit the Moon at an altitude of about 100km. How long did it take to go around the Moon once?

Rm= 1.74x10^6 m
Mm= 7.35x10^22 kg
G= 6.67x10^-11
r= Rm + 100,000 m

Homework Equations



v= sqrt(Gm/r)

V=2pi*r/t

The Attempt at a Solution



after using the first equation, i got v= 1,679 m/s

i plugged this into the second equation to solve for T, and got
T= 2.9x10^9 s

This seems way too high to be the answer...
 
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It would appear you forgot to consider "r= Rm + 100,000 m"
 
You're right I didn't, but this time got 1.89x10^10.

Here is my work:
v=sqrt(6.67x10^-11)(7.35x10^22)/[(1.74x10^6)+100,000]
v= sqrt(2.66x10^6)
v= 1,631 m/s

1,631= 2(3.14)(1.74x10^6 + 100,000)/T
1631= 1.16x10^7/T

T=1.89x10^10 s
 
Continuing your work:

1631 = \frac{1.16 \times 10^7}{T}

T = \frac{1.16 \times 10^7}{1631} \neq 1.89 \times 10^{10} s

You have a simple arithmetic error in there somewhere.
 
Okay I believe I figured it out, and got 7,112 s instead, which seems much more reasonable. Thank you!
 

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