Chapter 6, Problem 85RPP

Space Shuttle launch The mass of the Space Shuttle at launch was about $\text{2}\text{.1 }\times {\text{ 10}}^{\text{6}}\text{kg}$. Much of this mass was the fuel used to move the orbiter, which carried the astronauts and various items in the shuttle’s payload. The Space Shuttle generally traveled from $\text{3}\text{.2 }\times {\text{ 10}}^{\text{5}}\text{m}$

(200 mi) to $\text{6}\text{.2 }\times {\text{ 10}}^{\text{5}}\text{m}$

(385 mi) above Earth’s surface. The shuttle’s two solid fuel boosters (the cylinders on the sides of the shuttle) provided 71.4% of the thrust during liftoff and the first stage of ascent before being released from the shuttle 132 s after launch at 48,000 m above sea level. The boosters continued moving up in free fall to an altitude of approximately 70,000 m and then fell toward the ocean to be recovered 230 km from the launch site. The shuttle’s five engines together provided $\text{3}\text{.46 }\times {\text{ 10}}^{\text{7}}\text{N}$ of thrust during liftoff.

Which number below is closest to the average vertical acceleration of the shuttle during the first 132 s of its flight?

$\begin{array}{l}\text{a}\text{. 3}{\text{.3 m/s}}^{\text{2}}\hfill \\ \text{b}\text{. 5}{\text{.5 m/s}}^{\text{2}}\hfill \\ \text{c}\text{. 9}{\text{.8 m/s}}^{\text{2}}\hfill \\ \text{d}{\text{. 14 m/s}}^{\text{2}}\hfill \\ \text{e}{\text{. 360 m/s}}^{\text{2}}\hfill \end{array}$