physics topic 1 (1 Viewer)

jnney

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Discuss the effect of the Earth’s orbital motion and its rotational motion on the launch of a rocket

Transfer orbits between the Earth and other planets in the solar system can be achieved by using the Earth’s orbital velocity around the Sun. If the rocket is launched against the motion of the Earth’s orbit it will have an overall velocity of the Earth’s orbital velocity minus the escape velocity, and it will consequently transfer to an orbital path nearer to the sun than that of the Earth. If the rocket is launched with the Earth’s orbit it will be travelling at the Earth’s orbital velocity plus the escape velocity and will hence transfer to an orbit further away from the sun than that of the Earth.

I dont understand this!

can someone help me? :D
 

jnney

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Actually do we need to know this?
 

Bored_of_HSC

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The speed of an object is always relative to another object right?

The three components here are: - The earth's rotational velocity (1)
- The orbital velocity of the rocket relative to earth (2)
- The orbital velocity of the rocket relative to the sun. (3)

The speed of moving in the direction of the earths rotational velocity (ie east) is added to the orbital velocity of the rocket relative to the earth (2) to equal the velocity of the rocket relative to the sun (3).
Therefore (1) + (2) = (3)

The converse is true when the rocket goes in the opposite direction.

Hope this answered your question (physics is my weakness though :L).
 
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