Question

The NASA spacecraft Deep Space I was shut down on December 18, 2001, following a three-year journey to the asteroid Braille and the comet Borrelly. This spacecraft used a solar-powered ion engine to produce 0.064 ounces of thrust (force) by stripping electrons from neon atoms and accelerating the resulting ions to 70,000 mi/h. The thrust was only as much as the weight of a couple sheets of paper, but the engine operated continuously for 16,000 hours. As a result, the speed of the spacecraft increased by 7900 mi/h. What was the mass of Deep Space I?

Answer 1

Answer:

The mass will be "8.86 lb".

Explanation:

The given values are:

Force

= 70,000 mi/h

Speed

= 7900 mi/h

On applying the Law of momentum, we get

⇒  $V_{1}m_{1}=V_{2}m_{2}$

On putting the estimated values, we get

⇒  $70000 = 7900\times mass \ of \ deepspace \ 1$

⇒  $mass \ of \ deepspace \ 1 = \frac{70000}{7900}$

⇒                                    $=8.86 \ lb$