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(Solved): A satellite is in a circular earth orbit of radius rmin=2.14R, where R is the radius of the eart ...
A satellite is in a circular earth orbit of radius , where is the radius of the earth. What is the minimum velocity boost necessary to reach point , which is a distance from the center of the earth? At what point in the original circular orbit should the velocity increment be added? Answer:
Expert Answer
To calculate the minimum velocity boost Av required to reach point B, we can use the conservation of energy principle. At the initial point, the satellite is moving in a circular orbit of radius rmin with a certain velocity v1. The gravitational potential energy of the satellite is given by -GMm/rmin, where G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the earth, and m is the mass of the satellite. The kinetic energy of the satellite is given by (1/2)mv1^2. Therefore, the total energy of the satellite is:E1 = -GMm/rmin + (1/2)mv1^2