A shuttle on Earth has a mass of 4.5 E 5 kg. Compare its weight on Earth to its weight while in orbit at a height of 6.3 E 5 met

Question

3 months ago

10

ers above the surface of the Earth. Approximately what percent of its weight does the space shuttle retain?
11%
44%
83%
91%

1 answer:

ValentinkaMS [3.4K] · Answer 1 · 2026-03-19T14:24:14+03:00

Response:

83%

Clarification:

At the surface, the weight can be expressed as:

W = GMm / R²

where G denotes the gravitational constant, M represents the Earth's mass, m signifies the shuttle's mass, and R is the Earth's radius.

When in orbit, the weight is given by:

w = GMm / (R+h)²

where h indicates the shuttle's altitude above Earth's surface.

The weight ratio is as follows:

w/W = R² / (R+h)²

w/W = (R / (R+h))²

For R = 6.4×10⁶ m and h = 6.3×10⁵ m:

w/W = (6.4×10⁶ / 7.03×10⁶)²

w/W = 0.83

Thus, the shuttle maintains 83% of its weight as it orbits.