Question

if a spacecraft weighs 1,200 lbf on the moon (g=5.31 ft/s^2 ), what will be the approximate weight on phobos (g=0.0547 ft/s^2 ) be?

Answer 1

The approximate weight of a spacecraft on Phobos, when it weighs 1,200 lbf on the Moon, would be about 12.33 lbf, calculated using the ratio of gravitational accelerations on the Moon and Phobos.

Step-by-step explanation:

The weight of an object is directly proportional to the acceleration due to gravity at the location where the object is. To determine the spacecraft's weight on Phobos, we use the ratio of the gravitational accelerations on the Moon and Phobos.

Given that the spacecraft weighs 1,200 lbf on the Moon with a gravitational acceleration of 5.31 ft/s², we can set up a proportion:

Weight on Moon / g on Moon = Weight on Phobos / g on Phobos

Plugging in the known values:

1200 lbf / 5.31 ft/s² = Weight on Phobos / 0.0547 ft/s²

To solve for the weight on Phobos, multiply both sides by 0.0547 ft/s²:

Weight on Phobos = (1200 lbf / 5.31 ft/s²) * 0.0547 ft/s²

Weight on Phobos ≈ 12.33 lbf

So, the approximate weight of the spacecraft on Phobos would be about 12.33 lbf.