- #1
Riemannenthusiast
- 8
- 0
- Homework Statement
- So in this scenario, a spaceship is in an elliptical orbit. It then fires its rockets straight upward. The question asks me what happens to the kinetic energy and angular momentum.
- Relevant Equations
- mvrsintheta=mvrsintheta
Well I am pretty sure that the kinetic energy stays the same because in this case the velocity vector and energy make a ninety degree angle so no work is done, but I am lost about angular momentum. It could decrease maybe if the torque is clockwise while the ship is going in a counterclockwise direction so they could cancel out, the same because the rockets torque is perpendicular to angular momentum, or increase because the radius increases. Can someone set me on the right path?