Asked by andres

A NASA explorer spacecraft with a mass of 1,000 kg takes off in a positive direction from a stationary asteroid.

If the velocity of the spacecraft is 250 m/s and the asteroid is pushed back –25 m/s, what is the mass of the asteroid? Assume there is no net force on the system.

100 kg
6,250 kg
10,000 kg
6,250,000 kg

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Use conservation of momentum (initial momentum 0):

1000(250) + m_ast(-25) = 0
=> 250000 - 25 m_ast = 0
=> m_ast = 250000 / 25 = 10,000 kg.

Answer: 10,000 kg.