APHY 101 Exam Questions with Correct Answers| New Update with Guaranteed Success
Which special place in the Earth's orbit is the Sun located at? Occupied Focus
In an elliptical orbit around the Earth, you will have the maximum energy of position when
you're at Apogee or Apoapsis
Earth's seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earths rotation axis
During most of the MESSENGER probe's journey from Earth to Mercury, it was speeding up
with respect to the sun
You are orbiting the Sun and fire your engines at perihelion to SPEED UP. As a result:
aphelion increases, perihelion stays the same
During a launch, the energy in your fuel is being converted into heat, energy of position,
energy of motion
For the first few seconds after liftoff, which forces are important? Gravity and thrust
You're orbiting the Earth every 2 hours, and then you make a maneuver that increases your
orbital speed. Your NEW orbit will have a period that is more than 2 hours
You're orbiting the Earth at 7.8 km/sec in a circular orbit. If you slow down to 7.7 km/sec, your
new orbit will be circular but will be a bit closer to the Earth. (T/F) F - In many situations, if
you slow down, you will fall into a lower orbit (but note, if you started in a circular orbit, the
new orbit will be elliptical - that's the first reason the answer is FALSE here). Also, in this case,
you need to remember that 7.8 km/sec is the MINIMUM speed required to be in the lowest
possible Earth orbit. If you slow down a little bit, your new orbit will become an ellipse with the
perigee INSIDE THE EARTH! In other words, your flight will become suborbital and you will fall
to the ground.
, You're in an elliptical orbit around the Earth. At perigee you increase your speed from 11
km/sec to 12 km/sec. The new orbit will be an elliptical orbit with a higher apogee. (T/F) F-
In some cases, speeding up will get you to a larger elliptical orbit with a higher perigee. But
remember that 11.2 km/sec is the Earth's ESCAPE SPEED - beyond this, the orbit changes shape
and becomes hyperbolic. No apogee!
Your spacecraft is heading east in an orbit around the Earth. You want to get to a higher orbit.
To make this maneuver you must first make sure that your nozzle is facing West - Another
question that tests you on multiple concepts. To get to a higher (larger) orbit you know you
must SPEED UP. This means the nozzle must point toward where you came from (in this case,
the west) in order to achieve a speedup when you fire the engines. Had the nozzle been
pointing east, if you fired the engines you'd SLOW DOWN and drop to a lower orbit.
When do experience maximum acceleration during a launch? Just before burnout
The period of the Earth-Mars Hohmann transfer orbit is 16 months. It is therefore possible to
get to Mars by a Hohmann transfer orbit in 8 months
When you are many millions of kilometers away from any planet, moon, asteroid, or comet,
then you are not in orbit around anything at all. (T/F) F - As long as you're within the Solar
System, in this case you'll be orbiting the Sun. Even though the Sun may also be very far away
from your location, it's so massive that its gravitational pull dominates.
For most of the journey from Earth to Jupiter, you'll measure your velocity with respect to
the center of the Sun
Russia fuels its rockets with kerosene because its cheap
NASA's main launch site is in Florida, because of its proximity to the Equator and the possibility
of launching over the Atlantic Ocean. (T/F) T - Remember that the closer you are to the
Equator, the more help you get from the Earth's rotation in your attempt to reach orbit. Also,
you will want to turn eastward as soon as possible to get this advantage, and having a launch
Which special place in the Earth's orbit is the Sun located at? Occupied Focus
In an elliptical orbit around the Earth, you will have the maximum energy of position when
you're at Apogee or Apoapsis
Earth's seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earths rotation axis
During most of the MESSENGER probe's journey from Earth to Mercury, it was speeding up
with respect to the sun
You are orbiting the Sun and fire your engines at perihelion to SPEED UP. As a result:
aphelion increases, perihelion stays the same
During a launch, the energy in your fuel is being converted into heat, energy of position,
energy of motion
For the first few seconds after liftoff, which forces are important? Gravity and thrust
You're orbiting the Earth every 2 hours, and then you make a maneuver that increases your
orbital speed. Your NEW orbit will have a period that is more than 2 hours
You're orbiting the Earth at 7.8 km/sec in a circular orbit. If you slow down to 7.7 km/sec, your
new orbit will be circular but will be a bit closer to the Earth. (T/F) F - In many situations, if
you slow down, you will fall into a lower orbit (but note, if you started in a circular orbit, the
new orbit will be elliptical - that's the first reason the answer is FALSE here). Also, in this case,
you need to remember that 7.8 km/sec is the MINIMUM speed required to be in the lowest
possible Earth orbit. If you slow down a little bit, your new orbit will become an ellipse with the
perigee INSIDE THE EARTH! In other words, your flight will become suborbital and you will fall
to the ground.
, You're in an elliptical orbit around the Earth. At perigee you increase your speed from 11
km/sec to 12 km/sec. The new orbit will be an elliptical orbit with a higher apogee. (T/F) F-
In some cases, speeding up will get you to a larger elliptical orbit with a higher perigee. But
remember that 11.2 km/sec is the Earth's ESCAPE SPEED - beyond this, the orbit changes shape
and becomes hyperbolic. No apogee!
Your spacecraft is heading east in an orbit around the Earth. You want to get to a higher orbit.
To make this maneuver you must first make sure that your nozzle is facing West - Another
question that tests you on multiple concepts. To get to a higher (larger) orbit you know you
must SPEED UP. This means the nozzle must point toward where you came from (in this case,
the west) in order to achieve a speedup when you fire the engines. Had the nozzle been
pointing east, if you fired the engines you'd SLOW DOWN and drop to a lower orbit.
When do experience maximum acceleration during a launch? Just before burnout
The period of the Earth-Mars Hohmann transfer orbit is 16 months. It is therefore possible to
get to Mars by a Hohmann transfer orbit in 8 months
When you are many millions of kilometers away from any planet, moon, asteroid, or comet,
then you are not in orbit around anything at all. (T/F) F - As long as you're within the Solar
System, in this case you'll be orbiting the Sun. Even though the Sun may also be very far away
from your location, it's so massive that its gravitational pull dominates.
For most of the journey from Earth to Jupiter, you'll measure your velocity with respect to
the center of the Sun
Russia fuels its rockets with kerosene because its cheap
NASA's main launch site is in Florida, because of its proximity to the Equator and the possibility
of launching over the Atlantic Ocean. (T/F) T - Remember that the closer you are to the
Equator, the more help you get from the Earth's rotation in your attempt to reach orbit. Also,
you will want to turn eastward as soon as possible to get this advantage, and having a launch
