A 4,000 kg satellite is traveling in a circular orbit 200 km above the surface of the Earth. A 30.0 gram marble is dropped inside the satellite. What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the marble as viewed by the observers inside the satellite? (M_E = 5.98 × 10²⁴ kg, R_E = 6.37 × 10⁶ m, G = 6.67 × 10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg²) A) 0.00 m/s² B) 1.62 m/s² C) 2.64 m/s² D) 4.90 m/s² E) 9.24 m/s²

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The marble is in free fall along with the satellite, experiencing the same gravitational acceleration as the satellite, which means it appears weightless to observers inside the satellite. This results in an apparent acceleration of 0.00 m/s^2 as viewed by observers inside the satellite.

A 4,000 Kg Satellite Is Traveling in a Circular Orbit