When a satellite is launched, its orbital radius is usually determined far in ad
ID: 1858763 • Letter: W
Question
When a satellite is launched, its orbital radius is usually determined far in advance because the amount of energy required to change its orbit is large. How much work, W , would a rocket thruster on a satellite of mass m = 720 kg need to do to change the satellite's orbital radius from r1 = 2.48×107 to r2 = 4.31×107 ? (Part C figure) The Earth's radius is R earth = 6.37×106 . Assume that both orbits are circular.
Express your answer numerically in joules to three significant figures.
Answer in Joules.