Challenge Team Abstract

Team Number: 041 School Name: Gallup High Area of Science: Physics Project Title: The Orbital Status of a Mass

In outer space, given a mass, its velocity, and its closest approach to anotehr object, we will determine its orbital status - decaying, stable or escape.

The gravitational force F that a body exerts on a unit mass with R as the radius of the body, G as the universal gravitational constant, M as the mass of the body and D is in the distance of the unit mass from the center of the body relates as shown here:

F = GMD for O < D < R and F = GM for D>= R

Using this equaion and others, we will write a program that will calculate these values upon the input of these variables and simulate it graphically over a set period of time.

Team Members

• Dewars Lang
• Azmat Bhatty

Sponsoring Teachers

• Linda Lomasney

Project Advisor(s)