Final answer:
The question involves calculating the space shuttle's acceleration during launch, which is found using the formula for acceleration and converting the given velocity to the appropriate units. The result is an acceleration of 5.555 m/s².
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to the acceleration phase just after vertical launch from earth surface, where the space shuttle takes 8.0 seconds to reach a speed of 160 km/h. To find the acceleration, we can use the formula a = Δv / t, where a is acceleration, Δv is the change in velocity, and t is time. First, we need to convert the velocity from kilometers per hour to meters per second by dividing by 3.6 (since 1 km/h is approximately 0.277778 m/s). This gives us a speed of approximately 44.44 m/s. Plugging these values into the formula, we find that the acceleration is a = 44.44 m/s / 8.0 s, which equals 5.555 m/s².
Understanding these fundamental concepts about space shuttle launch dynamics, such as acceleration and velocity, is essential for further explorations into topics like orbital mechanics and interplanetary spacecraft trajectories.