- #1
badman
- 57
- 0
i can't seem to figure this problem out.
Ten days after it was launched toward Mars in December 1998, the Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft (mass 629 kg) was 2.87 \times 10^{6} \;{\rm km} from the Earth and traveling at 1.20 \times 10^{4} \;{\rm km}/{\rm h} relative to the earth.
At this time, what was the spacecraft 's kinetic energy relative to the earth?
i tried converting the traveling speed to meters per second, sqauring it, multiplying with the mass times 0.5 and i got it wrong. am i missing something here?
heres the second question What was the potential energy of the earth- spacecraft system?
is it asking me to find the gravitational potential energy or just the potential energy, using m*g*y=U?
Ten days after it was launched toward Mars in December 1998, the Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft (mass 629 kg) was 2.87 \times 10^{6} \;{\rm km} from the Earth and traveling at 1.20 \times 10^{4} \;{\rm km}/{\rm h} relative to the earth.
At this time, what was the spacecraft 's kinetic energy relative to the earth?
i tried converting the traveling speed to meters per second, sqauring it, multiplying with the mass times 0.5 and i got it wrong. am i missing something here?
heres the second question What was the potential energy of the earth- spacecraft system?
is it asking me to find the gravitational potential energy or just the potential energy, using m*g*y=U?