Consider two satellites A and B of equal mass m moving in

Last updated: 6/13/2023

Consider two satellites A and B of equal mass m moving in the same circular orbit of radius r around the Earth E but in opposite sense of rotation and therefore on a collision course see figure i In terms of G M m and r find the total mechanical energy EA Eg of the two satellite plus Earth system before collision ii If the collision is completely inelastic so that wreckage remains as one piece of tangled material mass 2m find the total mechanical energy immediately after collision iii Describe the subsequent motion of the wreckage A M B