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 the Hubble Space Telescope in a circular orbit can be found using the formula v = sqrt(GM/r), where G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the Earth, and r is the distance from the center of the Earth to the orbiting object (in this case, the sum of the Earth's radius and the altitude of the orbit). Plugging in the given values, we get v = sqrt((6.67 x 10^-11 Nm^2/kg^2) x (6 x 10^24 kg) / (6400 km + 600 km) x 1000 m/km) = 7,500 m/s. Therefore, the answer is B.

The Hubble Space Telescope Orbits at an Altitude of 600