During a launch, why do astronauts typically experience the maximum acceleration immediately before the engines shut off?   a because the atmospheric drag is greatest just before we reach orbit   b because the spacecraft has lost most of its mass at this point and can accelerate faster   c because the Earth's gravity is strongest just before we reach orbit   d because we usually increase the thrust dramatically just before achieving orbit

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Chapter5: Gravity
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Problem 1SOP: Arrange the following motions in order of increasing velocity: orbit of Earth around the Sun; an...
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During a launch, why do astronauts typically experience the maximum acceleration immediately before the engines shut off?

  a

because the atmospheric drag is greatest just before we reach orbit

  b

because the spacecraft has lost most of its mass at this point and can accelerate faster

  c

because the Earth's gravity is strongest just before we reach orbit

  d

because we usually increase the thrust dramatically just before achieving orbit

Expert Solution
Step 1

Write the expression for the acceleration (a) spacecraft of the mass m during the launch where its escape velocity ve, the mass of the ejected gas Δm, and the time Δt in which the gas is ejected.

a=vemmt-ga1m                              at constant ve and mt

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