High School

At some point during construction, the International Space Station had a mass of 235,565 kg. When it orbited Earth at an altitude of 400,000 m, what was the approximate gravitational force on the station due to Earth's gravity?

Answer :

Therefore, the approximate gravitational force on the International Space Station due to Earth's gravity when it orbited at an altitude of 400,000 m is approximately 2.44 × 10^6 Newtons.

To calculate the approximate gravitational force on the International Space Station (ISS) due to Earth's gravity, we can use the formula for gravitational force:

F = (G * m1 * m2) / r^2

where F is the gravitational force, G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.67430 × 10^-11 N m^2/kg^2), m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects (in this case, the mass of the ISS and the mass of the Earth), and r is the distance between the centers of the two objects.

Given:

Mass of the ISS (m1) = 235,565 kg

Mass of the Earth (m2) = 5.972 × 10^24 kg

Distance between the ISS and the Earth's center (r) = 400,000 m

Plugging these values into the formula, we have:

F = (G * m1 * m2) / r^2

= (6.67430 × 10^-11 N m^2/kg^2) * (235,565 kg) * (5.972 × 10^24 kg) / (400,000 m)^2

Calculating this expression gives us the approximate gravitational force on the ISS due to Earth's gravity.

F ≈ 2.44 × 10^6 N

Therefore, the approximate gravitational force on the International Space Station due to Earth's gravity when it orbited at an altitude of 400,000 m is approximately 2.44 × 10^6 Newtons.

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