Work/Energy to go from surface of moon to mars orbit

[killercatfish]

Hello,

This is my first post on this site, but I find that I have gotten myself into a nice confusion as to where I should go in solving this problem.

I am trying to figure out the amount of energy needed to leave the moons surface and arrive in orbit around mars. Assume all the average values of orbit and radii.

Im finding two main conceptual issues, when (and how mathematically) do I represent gravity from the moon and then gravity from the sun for the voyage over.

Next, if I want to make the "easy" transition into Mars orbit, my goal velocity when arriving at mars, is the same velocity as mars' orbit around the sun, i believe. How do i then understand the oribital speed of my object around mars.

I have done some written computations, and its rather confusing, as i would expect. just interested to see if there is anyone on here with any idea to kick me in a direction.

Thanks.

 

[eljose79]

Hello there,

I can understand your confusion in trying to solve this problem. Calculating the amount of energy needed to leave the moon's surface and arrive in orbit around Mars is a complex task that requires a good understanding of orbital mechanics and gravitational forces.

To start, you will need to use Newton's law of universal gravitation to calculate the force of gravity between the moon and your spacecraft. This force will affect the trajectory of your spacecraft as it leaves the moon's surface. As your spacecraft gets farther away from the moon, the force of gravity will decrease, but it will still have an effect on your spacecraft's path towards Mars.

Next, you will need to take into account the gravitational pull of the sun on your spacecraft as it travels towards Mars. This can be calculated using the same law of universal gravitation, but you will also need to consider the relative positions and masses of the sun, moon, and Mars.

In terms of understanding the orbital speed of your spacecraft around Mars, you can use Kepler's laws of planetary motion. The third law states that the square of the orbital period is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of the orbit. Using this, you can calculate the orbital speed of your spacecraft around Mars once it reaches its orbit.

I would also recommend using online calculators or software specifically designed for orbital mechanics to make your calculations easier. And don't hesitate to reach out to other scientists or experts in this field for guidance. Good luck with your calculations!

 

[charng]

Greetings,

I can certainly understand the confusion you are experiencing while trying to calculate the energy needed for a journey from the surface of the moon to orbit around Mars. This is a complex problem that involves many different factors and variables.

First, let's address the issue of gravity. When calculating the energy needed for a journey, we must take into account the gravitational pull of both the moon and the sun. This means that we must use the equations for Newton's law of gravitation, which states that the force between two objects is directly proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. In this case, we would need to calculate the gravitational force between the spacecraft and both the moon and the sun at different points along the journey.

Next, in order to understand the orbital speed of the spacecraft around Mars, we need to consider the concept of escape velocity. This is the minimum speed required for an object to escape the gravitational pull of a celestial body and enter into orbit around it. The escape velocity for Mars is about 5 km/s, so the spacecraft would need to reach this speed in order to enter into orbit around Mars.

To calculate the amount of energy needed for this journey, we would need to use the equation for kinetic energy, which is 1/2 x mass x velocity squared. By plugging in the appropriate values for the mass of the spacecraft and its velocity at different points along the journey, we can determine the energy needed for each stage of the journey.

I hope this information helps guide you in the right direction. It is certainly a challenging problem, but with the proper calculations and understanding of fundamental concepts such as gravity and escape velocity, you should be able to arrive at a solution. Good luck!