The Hubble Space Telescope orbits at an altitude of 600 km above the Earth's surface.Assuming it is in a stable circular orbit,what is its velocity? For reference,the Earth's radius is 6,400 km and Earth's mass is 6 × 10²⁴ kg. A)240,000 m/s B)7,500 m/s C)51,000 m/s D)64,000 m/s E)You also must know the mass of the Hubble Space Telescope to determine its speed.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The velocity of an object in a circular orbit can be calculated with the formula:
v = √(GM/r)
Where G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the Earth, and r is the radius of the orbit. 
Plugging in the given values:
v = √((6.67 × 10^-11)(6 × 10^24)/(6400 + 600) × 1000)
v ≈ 7,500 m/s

The Hubble Space Telescope Orbits at an Altitude of 600