At the Earth-Sun distance, the radiation from the sun is 1400 W/m^2. This radiat

Question

At the Earth-Sun distance, the radiation from the sun is 1400 W/m^2. This radiation is also known as the intensity, which is the average value for the Poynting Vector, S. Should the surface of the sail be shiny or dark? Explain. What is the pressure (force/area) from this solar radiation? What then must the area of the sail so as to impart an average force of 10 N at this Earth-Sun distance? (Assuming the spacecraft is far from the Earth). By how much would the speed of 10,000-kg ship increase in 30 days?

Explanation / Answer

Here ,

Intensity , I = 1400 W/m^2

a) for the maximum pressure , the surface must be shiny.

b)

pressure from the radiation = 2 * I/c

pressure from the radiation = 2 * 1400/(3 *10^8)

pressure from the radiation = 9.33 *10^-6 Pa

c)

let the area is A

A * 9.33 *10^-6 = 10

A = 1.07 *10^6 m^2

the area is 1.07 *10^6 m^2

d)

let the speed of the 10000 Kg is v

10000 * v = 10 * 24 * 30 * 3600

solving for v

v = 2592 m/s

the speed of the ship is 2592 m/s

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