The asteroid Vesta, located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, is spherical in shape with a radius of 265 km and a mass of 3.0 × 10²⁰ kg. What is the minimum speed at which you could propel yourself upward and not fall back down?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The minimum speed needed to escape from the gravitational pull of an object can be found using the equation:
v = sqrt(2GM/r)
where v is the minimum speed, G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the object, and r is the distance from the center of the object.

Plugging in the values for Vesta, we get:
v = sqrt(2 * 6.67 × 10^-11 N(m/kg)^2 * 3.0 × 10^20 kg / 265,000 m)
v = 387.9 m/s

Rounding to the nearest whole number, the minimum speed needed to escape from Vesta is 388 m/s, so the correct answer is C.

The Asteroid Vesta, Located in the Main Asteroid Belt Between