Meriam, Kraige & Bolton — Kinetics of Systems of Particles: Problem 4_65

4/65 A rocket stage designed for deep-space missions consists of 200 kg of fuel and 300 kg of structure and payload combined. In terms of burnout velocity, what would be the advantage of reducing the structural/payload mass by 1 percent (3 kg) and using that mass for additional fuel? Express your answer in terms of a percent increase in burnout velocity. Repeat your calculation for a 5 percent reduction in the structural/payload mass.