Chapter 4, Problem 80GP

Landing on Mars When the twin exploration rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, landed on Mars, their method of landing was unique and elaborate. After initial braking with rockets and parachutes to a virtual standstill several meters above the ground, the rovers inflated four air bags with six lobes each. The rovers wore thon detached from the parachutes and allowed to drop in free fall (3.72 m/s²) to the surface, where they bounced about 12 times before coming to rest. They then deflated their air bags, righted themselves, and began to explore the surface Figure 4-32 shows a rover with its surrounding cushion of air bags making its first contact with the Martian surface. Assume that the first bounce of the rover is with an initial speed of 9.92 m/s at an angle of 75.0° above the horizontal. (a) What is the maximum height of a rover between its first and second bounces? (b) How much time elapses between the first and second bounces? (c) How far does a rover travel in the horizontal direction between its first and second bounces?

Figure 4-32

Problem 80