The key to making a concise mathematical definition of escape velocity is to consider the energy. if an object is launched at its escape velocity, what is the total mechanical energy e_total of the object at a very large (i. e., infinite) distance from the planet follow the usual convention and take the gravitational potential energy to be zero at very large distances. consider the motion of an object between a point close to the planet and a point very far from the planet. indicate whether the following statements are true or false. angular momentum about the center of the planet is conserved. total mechanical energy is conserved.