A spacecraft of mass 1.00 × 10^3 kg orbits the sun (mass 1.99 * 1030 kg) in a circular orbit of radius 1.50 * 10^11 m (equal to the average distance from the sun to the earth). You wish to move the spacecraft into a smaller circular orbit around the sun of radius 1.08 * 10^11 m (equal to the average distance from the sun to Venus). In doing this, what will be the changes in (a) the spacecraft’s kinetic energy, (b) the gravitational potential energy of the sun–spacecraft system, and (c) the total mechanical energy of the sun–spacecraft system? Neglect the gravitational pulls of the planets on the spacecraft.

College Physics
11th Edition
ISBN:9781305952300
Author:Raymond A. Serway, Chris Vuille
Publisher:Raymond A. Serway, Chris Vuille
Chapter7: Rotational Motion And Gravitation
Section7.5: Newtonian Gravitation
Problem 7.9QQ: A planet has two moons with identical mass. Moon 1 is in a circular orbit of radius r. Moon 2 is in...
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A spacecraft of mass 1.00 × 10^3 kg orbits the sun (mass
1.99 * 1030 kg) in a circular orbit of radius 1.50 * 10^11 m (equal to the
average distance from the sun to the earth). You wish to move the spacecraft
into a smaller circular orbit around the sun of radius 1.08 * 10^11 m
(equal to the average distance from the sun to Venus). In doing this, what
will be the changes in (a) the spacecraft’s kinetic energy, (b) the gravitational
potential energy of the sun–spacecraft system, and (c) the total
mechanical energy of the sun–spacecraft system? Neglect the gravitational
pulls of the planets on the spacecraft.

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