gravity assist

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See also: gravity-assist

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡɹævɪti əˈsɪst/
  • Hyphenation: grav‧i‧ty as‧sist

Noun

gravity assist (plural gravity assists)

  1. (astrophysics) The favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body.
    • 1989 October 10, Warren E. Leary, “Galileo's Itinerary”, in New York Times, retrieved 4 September 2011:
      After going into orbit around Jupiter with a gravity assist from the volcanic moon Io, Galileo will spend 22 months studying the planet.
    • 1997 September 22, Dick Thompson, Michael D. Lemonick, “Nukes in Space”, in Time:
      Cassini is supposed to swing by Earth in 1999 for a gravity assist that would sling it out toward Saturn.
    • 2009 Oct. 2, "MESSENGER Gains Critical Gravity Assist For Mercury Orbital Observations," spacedaily.com (retrieved 4 Sep. 2011):
      MESSENGER successfully flew by Mercury yesterday, gaining a critical gravity assist that will enable it to enter orbit about Mercury in 2011.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

the favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body

References

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