Calculating Force for a Space Shuttle with Earth's Gravitational Acceleration

  • Thread starter gnickg
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In summary, the conversation revolved around a problem of finding the force needed to accelerate a 10,000-kg space shuttle to counter the Earth's gravitational acceleration of 9.8 meters per second square. The solution was calculated to be 98,000 Newtons. The concept of "g" as the gravitational field intensity was also discussed. The conversation concluded with the individual expressing their gratitude for the help they received and mentioning that they received an "A" on their quiz.
  • #1
gnickg
I am no science or physics major but this is my first quiz. I have this problem:
How much force must be applied to accelerate a 10,000-kg space shuttle to counter the Earth's gravitational acceleration of 9.8 meters per second square?
I took 9.8m/s^2 * 10,000 for 98,000 Newtons.
Is that correct?
Your help is much appreciated!
gnickg
 
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  • #2
Yep.

Followup: the space shuttle accelerates at roughly 3g's at liftoff. What's the force? (careful, its a bit of a trick question)
 
  • #3
Originally posted by gnickg
I am no science or physics major but this is my first quiz. I have this problem:
How much force must be applied to accelerate a 10,000-kg space shuttle to counter the Earth's gravitational acceleration of 9.8 meters per second square?
I took 9.8m/s^2 * 10,000 for 98,000 Newtons.
Is that correct?
Your help is much appreciated!
gnickg

So far so good. Here's a conceptual helping hand: "g" is always called "acceleration due to gravity," but that's a misnomer (wrong name). An object only has an acceleration equal to "g" when it is in free fall in a vaccuum.

Think of "g" as the gravitational field intensity, and no matter what is happening, the gravitational force on something will be "mg" . A lot of people get confused by multiplying mass times an "acceleration" when the darn thing isn't going anywhere!

Hope this is helpful.
 
  • #4
It's an acceleration vector field, equivalent to accelerating at 9.8 m/s2 away from a massless earth. By the equivalence principle, the difference between being stationary in a vector field and accelerating is an illusion.
gnickg this problem is about finding where forces balance, balanced forces are equal to each other- you solved it the right way.
 
  • #5
Thanks everyone for your help on my physics question. I got an "A"...!
 

1. What is the formula for calculating force for a space shuttle with Earth's gravitational acceleration?

The formula for calculating force is F = m x a, where F is the force, m is the mass of the object, and a is the acceleration.

2. How is Earth's gravitational acceleration related to the force on a space shuttle?

Earth's gravitational acceleration, denoted as g, is a constant value (9.8 m/s²) that determines the strength of the gravitational force between two objects. The force on a space shuttle is directly proportional to the mass of the shuttle and the gravitational acceleration of Earth.

3. How does the mass of the space shuttle affect the force calculation?

The mass of the space shuttle directly affects the force calculation. The greater the mass of the shuttle, the greater the force required to move it through Earth's gravitational field.

4. What is the unit of measurement for force in this calculation?

The unit of measurement for force in this calculation is Newtons (N). This is the standard unit for force in the International System of Units (SI).

5. Can this formula be used to calculate the force for objects other than a space shuttle?

Yes, this formula can be used to calculate the force for any object moving through Earth's gravitational field, as long as the mass and acceleration are known. It can also be used to calculate the force between two objects with known masses and distance between them.

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