Question

A 2190 kg space station orbits Earth at an altitude of 5.07 x 10^5 m. Find the magnitude of the force with which the space station attracts Earth. The mass and mean radius of Earth are 5.98 x 10^24 kg and 6.37 x 10^6 m, respectively.

Answer 1

Answer:

18,500 N

Explanation:

Gravitational force on an object is:
F = GMm / r²
where G is the universal gravitational constant (6.67×10⁻¹¹ Nm²/kg²),
M is the mass of one object (the planet),
m is the mass of the other object,
and r is the distance between the object centers.


Plugging in values:

F = (6.67×10⁻¹¹ Nm²/kg²) (5.98×10²⁴ kg) (2190 kg) / (6.37×10⁶ m + 5.07×10⁵ m)²

F = (8.74×10¹⁷ Nm²) / (6.877×10⁶ m)²

F = 0.185×10⁵ N

F = 18,500 N