Question 8.2: Astronaut rescue In this example we will consider conservati...
Astronaut rescue
In this example we will consider conservation of momentum in an isolated system consisting of an astronaut and a wrench. An astronaut is floating in space 100 m from her ship when her safety cable becomes unlatched. She and the ship are motionless relative to each other. The astronaut’s mass (including space suit) is 100 kg; she has a 1.0 kg wrench and only a 20 minute air supply. Thinking back to her physics classes, she devises a plan to use conservation of momentum to get back to the ship safely by throwing the wrench away from her. In what direction should she throw the wrench? What is the magnitude of her recoil velocity if she throws the wrench at 10 m/s? Will her recoil velocity be great enough to get her back to the spacecraft before she runs out of air?
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