Final answer:
The energy requirement to send one kilogram of payload to the ISS depends on various factors, including the kinetic energy and potential energy needed for the Soyuz spacecraft to reach orbit and rendezvous with the ISS.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about the energy requirements to transport a payload to the International Space Station (ISS), focusing on the energy needed to lift the Soyuz vehicle and put it into orbit with the ISS. It mentions that the kinetic energy needed is about five times that required to simply reach the ISS altitude and that the actual energy cost is increased due to the mass of the propulsion system. The energy to lift the Soyuz spacecraft, which has a mass of 9000 kg to the ISS's altitude of 400 km, was found to be 3.27 × 10⁹ J. For the Soyuz to reach orbit and rendezvous with the ISS, its kinetic energy must be nearly eight times the potential energy change. This represents 90% of the total energy requirement. Space travel requires substantial fuel efficiency and energy expenditure due to the mass and energy to give the propulsion system the needed kinetic energy. As explained, various modes of transportation have different energy efficiencies, expressed in kilowatt-hours per kilometer, and for space travel, fuel requirements do not simply scale with distance.
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