Q: 8.19 A satellite orbits the earth at a height of above the surface. How much energy must be expended to rocket the satellite out of the earth’s gravitational influence? Mass of the satellite ; ! mass of the earth ; radius of the earth ; .
The total energy of the satellite at height h is given by :
We know that the orbital speed of the satellite is :
Thus the total energy becomes :
or
Thus the required energy is negative of the total energy :
or
or