An engineering team is testing a prototype shock-absorbing lander. They drop the lander from various heights h h\,h above a landing pad and measure its impact velocity v v\,v just before contact.
Key data from the experiment is recorded in the table below:
| Drop height hhh / m\text{m}m | Impact velocity vvv / ms−1\text{ms}^{-1}ms−1 |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 2.8 |
| 1.0 | 3.9 |
| 1.5 | 4.8 |
| 2.0 | 5.6 |
| 2.5 | 6.2 |
| 3.0 | 6.8 |
The lander has a mass of 1250 g.
Calculate the kinetic energy of the lander just before impact when it is dropped from a height of 1.5 m.