NASA has asked your team of rocket scientists about the feasibility of a new satellite launcher that will save rocket fuel. NASA's idea is basicallyan electric slingshot that consists of 4 electrodes arranged in a horizontal square with sides of length d at a height h above the ground. The satellite is then placed on the ground aligned with the center of the square. A power supply will provide each of the four electrodes with a charge of Q/4 and the satellite with a charge -Q. When the satellite is released from rest, it moves up and passes through the center of the square. At the instant it reaches the square's center, the power supply is turned offand the electrodes are grounded, giving them a zero electric charge. To test this idea, you decide to use energy considerations to calculate how big Q will have to be to get a 100 kg satellite to a sufficient orbit height. Assume that the satellite startsfrom 15 meters below the square of electrodes and that the sides of the square are each 5 meters. In your physics text you find the mass of the Earth to be 6.0 x 1024kg.

Its minimum velocity energy is provided whenever the satellite(charge 4 q) becomes 15 m far below the square center generated by the electrode (charge q).

[tex]U_i=\frac{1}{4\pi\epsilon_0} \times \frac{4\times4q^2}{\sqrt{(15)^2+(5/\sqrt2)^2}}[/tex]

It's ultimate energy capacity whenever the satellite is now in the middle of the electric squares:

[tex]U_f=\frac{1}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\ \times \frac{4\times4q^2}{( \frac{5}{\sqrt{2}})}[/tex]

Potential energy shifts:

[tex]= U_f -U_i \\\\ =\frac{16q^2}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\left ( \frac{\sqrt2}{5}-\frac{1}{\sqrt{(15)^2+( \frac{5}{\sqrt{2})^2)}}\right ) \\\\ =\frac{16q^2}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\left ( \frac{\sqrt2}{5}-\frac{1}{ 15 +( \frac{5}{2})}}\right )\\\\ =\frac{16q^2}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\left ( \frac{\sqrt2}{5}-\frac{1}{ (\frac{30+5}{2})}}\right )\\\\[/tex]

[tex]=\frac{16q^2}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\left ( \frac{\sqrt2}{5}-\frac{1}{ (\frac{35}{2})}}\right )\\\\=\frac{16q^2}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\left ( \frac{\sqrt2}{5}-\frac{1}{17.5}}\right )\\\\ =\frac{16q^2}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\left ( \frac{ 24.74- 5 }{87.5}}\right )\\\\ =\frac{16q^2}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\left ( \frac{ 19.74- 5 }{87.5}}\right )\\\\ =\frac{4q^2}{\pi\epsilon_0}\left ( 0.2256 }\right )\\\\= \frac{0.28 \times q^2}{ \epsilon_0}\\\\=q^2\times31.35 \times10^9\,J[/tex]

Now that's the energy necessary to lift a satellite of 100 kg to 300 km across the surface of the earth.

[tex]=\frac{GMm}{R}-\frac{GMm}{R+h} \\\\=(6.67\times10^{-11}\times6.0\times10^{24}\times100)\left(\frac{1}{6400\times1000}-\frac{1}{6700\times1000} \right ) \\\\ =(6.67\times10^{-11}\times6.0\times10^{26})\left(\frac{1}{64\times10^{5}}-\frac{1}{67\times10^{5}} \right ) \\\\=(6.67\times6.0\times10^{15})\left(\frac{67 \times 10^{5} - 64 \times 10^{5} }{ 4,228 \times10^{5}} \right ) \\\\[/tex]

[tex]=( 40.02\times10^{15})\left(\frac{3 \times 10^{5}}{ 4,228 \times10^{5}} \right ) \\\\ =40.02 \times10^{15} \times 0.0007 \\\\[/tex]

[tex]\\\\ =0.02799\times10^{10}\,J \\\\= q^2\times31.35\times10^{9} \\\\ =0.02799\times10^{10} \\\\q=0.0945\,C[/tex]

This satellite is transmitted by it system at a height of 300 km and not in orbit, any other mechanism is required to bring the satellite into space.