deorbit
Begin reentry maneuver
Deorbit is to leave orbit around a celestial body, typically by firing thrusters to slow a spacecraft enough that gravity pulls it toward the surface.
Satellites are deorbited intentionally to burn up in the atmosphere or crash safely into oceans: Mission control deorbited the space station over the Pacific.
The noun refers to this maneuver: The deorbit burn lasted twelve minutes.
Reverse thrust maneuver
- burnDamage by heat
- thrustersPropulsion devices for steering
- propulsionForce driving movement forward
- trajectoryPath of moving object
flightpath · navigation · adjustment · delta-v · attitude · retrograde
Rapid downward descent
downward · altitude · trajectory · terminal · controlled · uncontrolled · splashdown · landing
Protective layer against friction
- ablationRemoval by cutting, melting
- plasmaElectrified matter state
- thermalPertaining to warmth
- tilesFlat covering pieces
aerobraking · charring · glow · blackout · hypersonic · shockwave · ionization · drag
Act of ending something
- graveyardPlot for interring the dead
- decommissionWithdraw from operational use
- breakupRomantic relationship's termination
- burnupComplete combustion destruction
retrofire
Reverse thrust maneuver
- burnDamage by heat
- thrustersPropulsion devices for steering
- propulsionForce driving movement forward
trajectory · flightpath · navigation · adjustment · delta-v · attitude · retrograde
plummet
Rapid downward descent
descent · downward · altitude · trajectory · terminal · controlled · uncontrolled · splashdown · landing · impact
heatshield
Protective layer against friction
tiles · aerobraking · charring · glow · blackout · hypersonic · shockwave · ionization · drag · deceleration
termination
Act of ending something
- graveyardPlot for interring the dead
- decommissionWithdraw from operational use
- breakupRomantic relationship's termination
- spaceflightlaunch, astronaut, spacecraft, liftoff, countdown
- reentryreentry, reentry vehicle, reentry capsule, heat shield, ablative
- satellite operationsground control, mission control, control center, command center, telemetry
- spacecraft maneuversburn, docking, rendezvous, gravity assist, attitude control
- flightflying, fly, flight, aviation, aircraft
- Space Station Tasksspacewalk, EVA, docking, undocking, maintenance