An astronaut in her space suit has a total mass of m1 = 86.5 kg, including suit

Question

An astronaut in her space suit has a total mass of m1 = 86.5 kg, including suit and oxygen tank. Her tether line loses its attachment to her spacecraft while she's on a spacewalk. Initially at rest with respect to her spacecraft, she throws her oxygen tank of mass m2 = 12.0 kg away from her spacecraft with a speed v = 9.00 m/s to propel herself back toward it.

(a) Determine the maximum distance she can be from the craft and still return within 1.80 min (the amount of time the air in her helmet remains breathable).

(b) Explain in terms of Newton's laws of motion why this strategy works.

Explanation / Answer

By principle of conservation of momentum, m2v2 = (m1-m2)v1 v1 = 12*9/(86.5-12) = 1.45 m/s (a)Max distance = 1.45 * 1.8 * 60 = 156.56 m (b)By Newton's third law of motion, every action has equal and opposite reaction.As the astronaut applies a force on the cylinder,it applies a force on her in the opposite direction, which makes her move toward the craft.

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