Gravity Assist
A spaceflight technique in which a spacecraft uses a planet's gravitational field to alter its speed and trajectory. By flying past a planet, the spacecraft transfers orbital kinetic energy from the planet to itself, achieving significant velocity changes with limited propellant consumption. Gravity assist is a fundamental method in deep-space mission design.
Timeline (last 90 days)
The Parker probe uses multiple Venus flybys with gravity assists to decelerate relative to the Sun, thereby falling into an increasingly tight orbit
Gravity assist technology was first proposed by Soviet scientist Yuri Kondratyuk in the 1960s
Gravity assists have been widely used by NASA in deep space missions such as Voyager and Cassini
All Facts (3)
The Parker probe uses multiple Venus flybys with gravity assists to decelerate relative to the Sun, thereby falling into an increasingly tight orbit
50%UnverifiedGravity assist technology was first proposed by Soviet scientist Yuri Kondratyuk in the 1960s
50%UnverifiedGravity assists have been widely used by NASA in deep space missions such as Voyager and Cassini
50%