A space vehicle of mass 8,000 kg (including crew) when empty of fuel takes on 42,000...

 

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A space vehicle of mass 8,000 kg (including crew) when empty of fuel takes on 42,000 kg of fuel at a space station. It is released from the station with an initial speed of 2 m/s, and its rockets throw out the gas at a speed of 3,200 m/s when turned on. a) Can the vehicle reach a speed of 3,200 m/s ? b) If the answer is Yes, then how much fuel will it take to reach this speed? If the answer is No, then what is the minimum speed the fuel needs to be ejected at for the rocket to be able to reach a speed of 3,200 m/s ? c) What is the maximum speed that the rocket can reach with the given amount of fuel, the given payload weight, and the given exhaust speed of 3,200 m/s? A space vehicle of mass 8,000 kg (including crew) when empty of fuel takes on 42,000 kg of fuel at a space station. It is released from the station with an initial speed of 2 m/s, and its rockets throw out the gas at a speed of 3,200 m/s when turned on. a) Can the vehicle reach a speed of 3,200 m/s ? b) If the answer is Yes, then how much fuel will it take to reach this speed? If the answer is No, then what is the minimum speed the fuel needs to be ejected at for the rocket to be able to reach a speed of 3,200 m/s ? c) What is the maximum speed that the rocket can reach with the given amount of fuel, the given payload weight, and the given exhaust speed of 3,200 m/s?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

To solve these problems we can use the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation which relates the velocity change Delta v of a rocket to the effective exhaust velocity ve and the initial and final mass of the rock... View the full answer