One way to attack a satellite in Earth orbit is to launch a swarm of pellets in

Question

One way to attack a satellite in Earth orbit is to launch a swarm of pellets in the same orbit as the satellite but in the opposite direction. Suppose a satellite in a circular orbit 480 km above Earth's surface collides with a pellet having mass 5.6 g. (a) What is the kinetic energy of the pellet in the reference frame of the satellite just before the collision? (b) What is the ratio of this kinetic energy to the kinetic energy of a 5.6 g bullet from a modern army rifle with a muzzle speed of 1100 m/s?

Explanation / Answer

So for the kinetic energy, K = (1/2)m(v^2). I know that you need to find the velocity for that orbit's radius, therefore, I've done: Net Force = ma --> ((Gm1m2)/(r^2)) = m2((v^2)/r). With r = Radius of the Earth + 500 km --> ((6.37 x 10^6) + (5 x 10^6)). From there, I solved for the velocity and came up with (numerous times) = 7620 m/s. Then the kinetic energy, with 'm' being .004 kg, =116129 J.

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