The gravity assist maneuver was first used in 1959 when the Soviet probe Luna 3 photographed the far side of Earth's Moon, and it was used by interplanetary probes from Mariner 10 …

Nov 4, 2024 · The “gravity assist” concept has proven fundamental to exploring our “back yard” — the solar system. The technique has even been employed at least once to rescue an Earth …

Jul 11, 2005 · When a spacecraft in orbit about a primary body comes close to a moon that is orbiting the same primary body, there is an exchange of orbital energy and angular momentum …

Oct 1, 2024 · A gravity assist is a space navigation technique used to accelerate (or decelerate) and redirect a spacecraft by leveraging the gravitational pull and orbital momentum of a planet …

Instead transferring into a highly eccentric orbit that reaches the Moon's altitude at apogee enable using the Moon to affect the plane change and to raise perigee to geostationary. See …

Jul 16, 2023 · When a spacecraft approaches a planet or moon for a gravity assist, it executes a close flyby to gain or lose velocity. By carefully selecting the trajectory and the direction of the …

Nov 4, 2024 · This momentum can be tapped to accelerate spacecraft on so-called “gravity-assist” trajectories. It is commonly stated in the news media that spacecraft such as Voyager, Galileo, …

From Cassini's launch through the mission's Grand Finale, “gravity assists” were essential to making the spacecraft go where the scientists wanted it to go. This propellant-saving, mission …

We then developed a similar scenario in STK, using a lunar gravity assist to achieve plane change (like Hiten). Thus far we have trajectory concepts but not a trajectory solution. Consider only …

To send a spacecraft to another planet, one may often get a "free" boost in velocity by flying by another planet along the way, thus shortening the trip. These free velocity increases are called …