Question

A rocket with mass 6.00×10³ kg is in a circular orbit of radius 7.10×10⁶ m around the Earth. The rocket's engines fire for a period of time to increase that radius to 8.70×10⁶ m, with the orbit again circular. What is the change in gravitational potential energy of the rocket?

Answer 1

The change in gravitational potential energy of the rocket is approximately -5.63 × 10^11 J.

Step-by-step explanation:

The change in gravitational potential energy of the rocket can be calculated using the formula:

ΔPE = -GMm(1/ri - 1/rf)

Where ΔPE is the change in gravitational potential energy, G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the Earth, m is the mass of the rocket, ri is the initial radius of the orbit, and rf is the final radius of the orbit.

Plugging in the given values and solving the equation, we find that the change in gravitational potential energy of the rocket is approximately -5.63 × 10^11 J.