gravity assist
Orbital momentum transfer
A gravity assist is a spaceflight maneuver that uses a planet's or moon's gravitational pull to alter a spacecraft's speed and trajectory without expending fuel.
The spacecraft swings close to the celestial body, gaining momentum from its orbital motion: Voyager 2 used gravity assists from Jupiter and Saturn to reach Neptune.
Also called a gravitational slingshot.
Close pass without landing
- swingbyBrief casual visit
- slingshotForked projectile launcher
- trajectoryPath of moving object
- Hohmann transferMinimum-energy orbital transition
orbital mechanics · delta-v · navigation · course correction · aerobraking · hyperbolic · escape velocity · stationkeeping
NASA interstellar mission name
- CassiniSaturn mission namesake
- GalileoRenaissance astronomer from Italy
- JunoJupiter's divine consort
- New HorizonsUndiscovered opportunities ahead
Pioneer · spacecraft · probe · interplanetary · Jupiter · Saturn · Venus · Earth
Upward push or increase
- accelerationRate velocity changes
- momentumProduct of mass, velocity
- velocityDirected rate of motion
- speedRate of motion
thrust · kinetic energy · impetus · catapult · slingshot effect · fuel-free
flyby
Close pass without landing
- swingbyBrief casual visit
- slingshotForked projectile launcher
- trajectoryPath of moving object
Hohmann transfer · orbital mechanics · delta-v · navigation · course correction · aerobraking · hyperbolic · escape velocity · stationkeeping · retrograde
Voyager
NASA interstellar mission name
New Horizons · Pioneer · spacecraft · probe · interplanetary · Jupiter · Saturn · Venus · Earth · Mars
boost
Upward push or increase
- accelerationRate velocity changes
- momentumProduct of mass, velocity
- velocityDirected rate of motion
speed · thrust · kinetic energy · impetus · catapult · slingshot effect · fuel-free
- spaceflightlaunch, astronaut, spacecraft, liftoff, orbit
- spacespace, sun, moon, stars, star
- gravitygraviton, escape velocity, gravimeter, weightlessness, gravimetry
- space explorationrockets, Saturn V, satellites, mission, Falcon Heavy
- spacecraft maneuversburn, docking, deorbit, rendezvous, attitude control
- lunar orbitspolar orbit, elliptical orbit, circular orbit, retrograde orbit, stable orbit
gravity assistrocket propulsion
Thrust from expelled gases
powered flight · solar sail · nuclear propulsion · retrofire
gravity, assist, assistant, assistance, assisted, assisting, unassisted, gravitate, gravitating