In Figure, two satellites, A and B, both of mass m = 125 kg, move in the same circular orbit of radius r = 7.87 × 10⁶ m around Earth but in opposite senses of rotation and therefore on a collision course.

(a) Find the total mechanical energy E_A + E_B of the two satellites + Earth system before the collision.

(b) If the collision is completely inelastic so that the wreckage remains as one piece of tangled material (mass = 2m), find the total mechanical energy immediately after the collision.

(c) Just after the collision, is the wreckage falling directly toward Earth's center or orbiting around Earth?

Transcribed Image Text:

Earth