On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space when he made his 108-minute trip around the orbit of Earth. What was the height of his orbit relative to Earth's surface? M_E= 5.98 *10²⁴kg, R_E= 6.37 *10⁶m)?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A because the height of Gagarin's orbit can be calculated using the formula h = (GM/v^2) - R, where G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the Earth, v is the velocity of the satellite, and R is the radius of the Earth. Plugging in the given values, we get h = (6.674 * 10^-11 * 5.98 * 10^24 / (7800)^2) - 6.37 * 10^6 = 1.14 * 10^6 m.

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin Became the First Man