Escape velocity is a measure of how fast an object must be moving to escape the
gravitational pull of a planet or moon with no further thrust. The escape velocity for the
d
moon is given approximately by the equation v = 5,600
where v is the
1,000
escape velocity in miles per hour and d is the distance from the center of the moon (in
miles). If a lunar lander thrusts upwards until it reaches a distance of 16,000 miles from the
center of the moon, about how fast must it be going to escape the moon's gravity?
The object has to be moving
miles per hour to escape the moon's gravity.