A possible means of space flight is to place a perfectly reflecting aluminized sheet into orbit around the Earth and then use the light from the Sun to push this "solar sail." Suppose a sail of area A = 6.30 x 105 m² and mass m = 7,200 kg is placed in orbit facing the Sun. Ignore all gravitational effects and assume a solar intensity of 1,370 W/m². (a) What force (in N) is exerted on the sail? (Enter the magnitude.) If you know the intensity in a beam of light, how do you determine the radiation pressure? N (b) What is the sail's acceleration? (Enter the magnitude in µm/s².) X If you know the net force from part (a) and the mass from the problem statement, how do you find the acceleration? μm/s² (c) Assuming the acceleration calculated in part (b) remains constant, find the time interval (in days) required for the sail to reach the Moon, 3.84 x 108 m away, starting from rest at the Earth. X This is a constant acceleration situation. It might be a good opportunity to review solution methods for problems involving constant acceleration. days (d) If the solar sail were initially in Earth orbit at an altitude of 400 km, show that a sail of this mass density could not escape Earth's gravitational pull regardless of size. (Calculate the magnitude of the gravitational field in m/s².) 8.64 m/s² (e) What would the mass density (in kg/m²) of the solar sail have to be for the solar sail to attain the same initial acceleration as that in part (b)? x kg/m²
A possible means of space flight is to place a perfectly reflecting aluminized sheet into orbit around the Earth and then use the light from the Sun to push this "solar sail." Suppose a sail of area A = 6.30 x 105 m² and mass m = 7,200 kg is placed in orbit facing the Sun. Ignore all gravitational effects and assume a solar intensity of 1,370 W/m². (a) What force (in N) is exerted on the sail? (Enter the magnitude.) If you know the intensity in a beam of light, how do you determine the radiation pressure? N (b) What is the sail's acceleration? (Enter the magnitude in µm/s².) X If you know the net force from part (a) and the mass from the problem statement, how do you find the acceleration? μm/s² (c) Assuming the acceleration calculated in part (b) remains constant, find the time interval (in days) required for the sail to reach the Moon, 3.84 x 108 m away, starting from rest at the Earth. X This is a constant acceleration situation. It might be a good opportunity to review solution methods for problems involving constant acceleration. days (d) If the solar sail were initially in Earth orbit at an altitude of 400 km, show that a sail of this mass density could not escape Earth's gravitational pull regardless of size. (Calculate the magnitude of the gravitational field in m/s².) 8.64 m/s² (e) What would the mass density (in kg/m²) of the solar sail have to be for the solar sail to attain the same initial acceleration as that in part (b)? x kg/m²
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Chapter34: Electromagnetic Waves
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Problem 34.43P: A possible means of space flight is to place a perfectly reflecting aluminized sheet into orbit...
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![A possible means of space flight is to place a perfectly reflecting aluminized sheet into orbit around the Earth and then use the light from the Sun to push this "solar sail." Suppose a sail of area A =
6.30 x 105 m² and mass m = 7,200 kg is placed in orbit facing the Sun. Ignore all gravitational effects and assume a solar intensity of 1,370 W/m².
(a) What force (in N) is exerted on the sail? (Enter the magnitude.)
X
If you know the intensity in a beam of light, how do you determine the radiation pressure? N
(b) What is the sail's acceleration? (Enter the magnitude in µm/s².)
If you know the net force from part (a) and the mass from the problem statement, how do you find the acceleration? μm/s²
(c) Assuming the acceleration calculated in part (b) remains constant, find the time interval (in days) required for the sail to reach the Moon, 3.84 × 108 m away, starting from rest at the Earth.
X
This is a constant acceleration situation. It might be a good opportunity to review solution methods for problems involving constant acceleration. days
(d) If the solar sail were initially in Earth orbit at an altitude of 400 km, show that a sail of this mass density could not escape Earth's gravitational pull regardless of size. (Calculate the magnitude of
the gravitational field in m/s².)
8.64
m/s²
(e) What would the mass density (in kg/m²) of the solar sail have to be for the solar sail to attain the same initial acceleration as that in part (b)?
X kg/m²](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2F5f1b7c10-7ca4-413c-bb43-fe1a15020101%2F9df7b365-3f8a-4f45-b58b-ea9c6c269c8b%2F4y8lt0d_processed.png&w=3840&q=75)
Transcribed Image Text:A possible means of space flight is to place a perfectly reflecting aluminized sheet into orbit around the Earth and then use the light from the Sun to push this "solar sail." Suppose a sail of area A =
6.30 x 105 m² and mass m = 7,200 kg is placed in orbit facing the Sun. Ignore all gravitational effects and assume a solar intensity of 1,370 W/m².
(a) What force (in N) is exerted on the sail? (Enter the magnitude.)
X
If you know the intensity in a beam of light, how do you determine the radiation pressure? N
(b) What is the sail's acceleration? (Enter the magnitude in µm/s².)
If you know the net force from part (a) and the mass from the problem statement, how do you find the acceleration? μm/s²
(c) Assuming the acceleration calculated in part (b) remains constant, find the time interval (in days) required for the sail to reach the Moon, 3.84 × 108 m away, starting from rest at the Earth.
X
This is a constant acceleration situation. It might be a good opportunity to review solution methods for problems involving constant acceleration. days
(d) If the solar sail were initially in Earth orbit at an altitude of 400 km, show that a sail of this mass density could not escape Earth's gravitational pull regardless of size. (Calculate the magnitude of
the gravitational field in m/s².)
8.64
m/s²
(e) What would the mass density (in kg/m²) of the solar sail have to be for the solar sail to attain the same initial acceleration as that in part (b)?
X kg/m²
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