Question

A mad scientist wants to design a mechanical spring that has the ability to launch a 4 metric ton payload into deep space. Assuming that the spring's maximum compression is 150 m, what would its stiffness have to be to successfully launch such a payload? [Note that the mass of the Earth is about 6×1024 6 × 10 24 kg and its radius is about 6.4×106 6.4 × 10 6 meters.]

If mad scientist invents a new material that is twice as stiff as the material in the previous problem, what speed will the payload have when it is very far away from the Earth, assuming a compression equal to the one in the previous problem?

Answer 1