a) What is the semimajor axis of the spacecraft’s elliptical orbit around the Sun (in AU)? Hint: The semimajor axis of Earth’s orbit is 1 AU and the semimajor axis of Mars’ orbit is 1.52 AU. Consider the diagram above and assume for simplicity that the orbits of Earth and Mars are circular. b) What would be the period of the spacecraft’s orbit around the Sun (in Earth years)? c) Assuming that the spacecraft’s launch is timed properly to arrive at Mars, what is the time required (in days) for the spacecraft to reach Mars from Earth?
a) What is the semimajor axis of the spacecraft’s elliptical orbit around the Sun (in AU)? Hint: The semimajor axis of Earth’s orbit is 1 AU and the semimajor axis of Mars’ orbit is 1.52 AU. Consider the diagram above and assume for simplicity that the orbits of Earth and Mars are circular. b) What would be the period of the spacecraft’s orbit around the Sun (in Earth years)? c) Assuming that the spacecraft’s launch is timed properly to arrive at Mars, what is the time required (in days) for the spacecraft to reach Mars from Earth?
Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN:9781938168284
Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Chapter21: The Birth Of Stars And The Discovery Of Planets Outside The Solar System
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 24E: Kepler’s third law says that the orbital period (in years) is proportional to the square root of the...
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Question
a) What is the semimajor axis of the spacecraft’s elliptical orbit around the Sun (in AU)?
Hint: The semimajor axis of Earth’s orbit is 1 AU and the semimajor axis of Mars’ orbit
is 1.52 AU. Consider the diagram above and assume for simplicity that the orbits of
Earth and Mars are circular. b) What would be the period of the spacecraft’s orbit around
the Sun (in Earth years)? c) Assuming that the spacecraft’s launch is timed properly to
arrive at Mars, what is the time required (in days) for the spacecraft to reach Mars from
Earth?
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