Question

An astronaut in his space suit and with a propulsion unit (empty of its gas propellant) strapped to his back has a mass of 146 kg. The astronaut begins a space walk at rest, with a completely filled propulsion unit. During the space walk, the unit ejects some gas with a velocity of +35 m/s. As a result, the astronaut recoils with a velocity of -0.39 m/s. After the gas is ejected, the mass of the astronaut (now wearing a partially empty propulsion unit) is 165 kg. What percentage of the gas propellant was ejected from the completely filled propulsion unit?

Answer 1

Answer: 9.5%

Step-by-step explanation:

% deplected= Meject ÷ (Meject+Mleft) ×100%

Mleft=(165 - 146)kg = 19kg

% depleted = 2.0/(2.0 + 19) ×100=9.5%