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 = 6.80 x 105 m2 and mass m = 5,900 kg is placed in orbit facing the Sun. Ignore all gravitational effects and assume a solar intensity of 1,370 W/m2.

Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text
5th Edition
ISBN:9781133104261
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Chapter24: Electromagnetic Waves
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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 = 6.80 x 105 m2
and mass m = 5,900 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.)
6.21
(b) What is the sail's acceleration? (Enter the magnitude in um/s?.)
1052.54
v um/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.
9.89
v days
(d) What If? If the solar sail were initially in Earth orbit at an altitude of 380 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/s?.)
x 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)?
kg/m2
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 = 6.80 x 105 m2 and mass m = 5,900 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.) 6.21 (b) What is the sail's acceleration? (Enter the magnitude in um/s?.) 1052.54 v um/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. 9.89 v days (d) What If? If the solar sail were initially in Earth orbit at an altitude of 380 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/s?.) x 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)? kg/m2
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