The space shuttle is in a 3e+5 m high orbit over the earth. The radius of the earth is 6.37e+6 m, the mass of the earth is 5.98e+24 kg.
What is the distance from the center of the earth to the space shuttle?
I don't know whether I would double the radius and the add the height of the space shuttle or if there is an equation I should use?
distance to shuttle from earth center=
radius earth+altitide
To find the distance from the center of the Earth to the space shuttle, you need to calculate the sum of the radius of the Earth and the height of the orbit.
First, let's understand the given information:
- Radius of the Earth (r): 6.37e+6 m
- Height of the orbit (h): 3e+5 m
To get the distance from the center of the Earth to the space shuttle, you need to add the radius of the Earth to the height of the orbit. Therefore, the equation you mentioned of "doubling the radius and adding the height" would be correct.
Mathematically, you can calculate it as follows:
Distance = Radius + Height
Distance = 6.37e+6 m + 3e+5 m
Now, let's perform the calculation:
Distance = 6.37e+6 m + 3e+5 m
Distance = 6.37e+6 m + 3e+5 m
Distance = (6.37e+6 + 3e+5) m
Distance = 6.67e+6 m
So, the distance from the center of the Earth to the space shuttle is approximately 6.67e+6 meters.