Calculate the escape velocity (the minimum initial velocity that will take an object to infinity) from the surface of a planet of radius R. What is the value for?
(a) The Earth, R = 6.37 X 106 m, g= 9.81 m S-2,
(b) Mars, R = 3.38 X 106 m, mM3, lmE3 th = 0.108. At what temperatures do H2, He, and 02 molecules have mean speeds equal to their escape speeds? What proportion of the molecules has enough speed to escape when the temperature is (a) 240 K, (b) 1500 K? Calculations of this kind are very important in considering the composition of planetary atmospheres.