A small space yacht, mass 5.92x10* kg, is passing near a large star when its engines suddenly fail. To propel the ship, the crew erects a square white sail, 5.1 km on a side, and turn it so the photons from the star hit the sail head-on. At their current distance, the solar constant (the energy that passes through 1 m² every second) is 8.94x10ª w/m². (NOTE: just as a comparison, near the Earth the solar constant is 1350 W/m². The solar constant has the value given around the distance of Mercury from the Sun). Assume: - the sail is totally reflective; all the photons that strike the surface rebound at the same speed - the light from this star is basically monochromatic (that is, the majority of the light has one frequency) Find the acceleration achieved by the spaceship, in m/s2. Is this practical?
A small space yacht, mass 5.92x10* kg, is passing near a large star when its engines suddenly fail. To propel the ship, the crew erects a square white sail, 5.1 km on a side, and turn it so the photons from the star hit the sail head-on. At their current distance, the solar constant (the energy that passes through 1 m² every second) is 8.94x10ª w/m². (NOTE: just as a comparison, near the Earth the solar constant is 1350 W/m². The solar constant has the value given around the distance of Mercury from the Sun). Assume: - the sail is totally reflective; all the photons that strike the surface rebound at the same speed - the light from this star is basically monochromatic (that is, the majority of the light has one frequency) Find the acceleration achieved by the spaceship, in m/s2. Is this practical?
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![A small space yacht, mass 5.92x104 kg, is passing near a large star when its engines suddenly fail. To propel the ship, the crew erects a square white sail, 5.1 km on a
side, and turn it so the photons from the star hit the sail head-on. At their current distance, the solar constant (the energy that passes through 1 m2
8.94x104 W/m2. (NOTE: just as a comparison, near the Earth the solar constant is 1350 W/m2. The solar constant has the value given around the distance of Mercury
from the Sun). Assume:
every second) is
- the sail is totally reflective; all the photons that strike the surface rebound at the same speed
- the light from this star is basically monochromatic (that is, the majority of the light has one frequency)
Find the acceleration achieved by the spaceship, in m/s2. Is this practical?](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2F650e6cb9-88d2-4cd6-8997-c6e1b9641428%2F4bb1c4ab-866d-40c5-8c06-f6bbbac67569%2Fho6a17p_processed.png&w=3840&q=75)
Transcribed Image Text:A small space yacht, mass 5.92x104 kg, is passing near a large star when its engines suddenly fail. To propel the ship, the crew erects a square white sail, 5.1 km on a
side, and turn it so the photons from the star hit the sail head-on. At their current distance, the solar constant (the energy that passes through 1 m2
8.94x104 W/m2. (NOTE: just as a comparison, near the Earth the solar constant is 1350 W/m2. The solar constant has the value given around the distance of Mercury
from the Sun). Assume:
every second) is
- the sail is totally reflective; all the photons that strike the surface rebound at the same speed
- the light from this star is basically monochromatic (that is, the majority of the light has one frequency)
Find the acceleration achieved by the spaceship, in m/s2. Is this practical?
Expert Solution
![](/static/compass_v2/shared-icons/check-mark.png)
Step 1
given,
mass, m=5.92x104kg
L=5.1km
solar constant, s=8.94x104W/m2
Step by step
Solved in 2 steps
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