An asteroid has a mass of m = 2.6 x 106 kg and is approaching Earth. When the asteroid is exactly 3 radii away from the Earth's centre,  it's speed relative to the Earth's centre is u = 8.7 x 103 ms-1. The asteroid then falls to the Earth's surface, but remains intact without dissipating any energy as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere. If the rotation of the asteroid and the Earth is ignored, what is the kinetic energy of the asteroid just before it hits the ground?

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An asteroid has a mass of m = 2.6 x 10kg and is approaching Earth. When the asteroid is exactly 3 radii away from the Earth's centre,  it's speed relative to the Earth's centre is u = 8.7 x 103 ms-1. The asteroid then falls to the Earth's surface, but remains intact without dissipating any energy as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere. If the rotation of the asteroid and the Earth is ignored, what is the kinetic energy of the asteroid just before it hits the ground? 

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