If a Satellite Sent to Mars Is Designed to Return

question 11

Multiple Choice

If a satellite sent to Mars is designed to return a rock sample to Earth,how fast must the satellite be launched from its surface in order to escape Mars's gravity? For reference,Mars has a mass of 6 × 10²³ kg and a radius of 3,400 km.

• A)100 m/s
• B)5,000 m/s
• C)20 m/s
• D)20,000 m/s
• E)You must know the mass of the satellite to determine the answer.

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Definitions:

Poisson Distributions

Statistical models used to predict the probability of a given number of events occurring within a specified time period, based on a known average rate of occurrence.

Continuous Probability

Describes the probability of outcomes within a continuous range of values, rather than discrete outcomes.

Negative Exponential

A type of mathematical function that decreases rapidly from a positive value toward zero, often used to model decay or depreciation processes.

Last-In, First-Served

A method of service or processing where the most recently arrived item or request is dealt with first, opposite to the first-in, first-served principle.