- #1
heyitslars
- 2
- 0
I have a satellite orbit problem I'm not quite understanding...any help would be appreciated.
Suppose a spacecraft orbits the moon in a very low, circular orbit, just a few hundred meters above the lunar surface. The moon has a diameter of 3500 km, and the free-fall acceleration at the surface is 1.60 m/s^2.
1. How fast is this spacecraft moving?
To find the speed, I used the equation v= square root of (G X M/R), with M being the mass of the moon (I had to look that up) and G being the gravitational constant.
v= square root of (6.674E-11)(7.36E22/1750)=52980.125=>52.9 m/s
The answer I got was an available option under the answer choices; however, I got it wrong. I can't figure out another way to come up with the velocity.
I also tried using the equation mg=mv^2/R; however, I got the same number as before.
m's cancel;
g=v^2/R
v= square root of g*R
Acceleration = g in freefall
V = square root of 1.60*1750km=>52.9 m/s
Both of these answers are incorrect. What am I doing wrong?
Homework Statement
Suppose a spacecraft orbits the moon in a very low, circular orbit, just a few hundred meters above the lunar surface. The moon has a diameter of 3500 km, and the free-fall acceleration at the surface is 1.60 m/s^2.
Homework Equations
1. How fast is this spacecraft moving?
The Attempt at a Solution
To find the speed, I used the equation v= square root of (G X M/R), with M being the mass of the moon (I had to look that up) and G being the gravitational constant.
v= square root of (6.674E-11)(7.36E22/1750)=52980.125=>52.9 m/s
The answer I got was an available option under the answer choices; however, I got it wrong. I can't figure out another way to come up with the velocity.
I also tried using the equation mg=mv^2/R; however, I got the same number as before.
m's cancel;
g=v^2/R
v= square root of g*R
Acceleration = g in freefall
V = square root of 1.60*1750km=>52.9 m/s
Both of these answers are incorrect. What am I doing wrong?
Last edited: