gravity assist en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈɡɹævɪti əˈsɪst/
Meanings
-
The favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body.
After going into orbit around Jupiter with a gravity assist from the volcanic moon Io, Galileo will spend 22 months studying the planet.
1989 October 10, Warren E. Leary, “Galileo's Itinerary”, in New York Times, retrieved 04 Sep 2011:MESSENGER successfully flew by Mercury yesterday, gaining a critical gravity assist that will enable it to enter orbit about Mercury in 2011.
2009 Oct. 2, "MESSENGER Gains Critical Gravity Assist For Mercury Orbital Observations," spacedaily.com (retrieved 4 Sep. 2011)Cassini is supposed to swing by Earth in 1999 for a gravity assist that would sling it out toward Saturn.
1997 September 22, Dick Thompson, Michael D. Lemonick, “Nukes in Space”, in Time:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| gravitational assist | alternative | lexicographic | |
| gravity-assist | alternative | lexicographic | |
| gravity assists | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
gravitational slingshot · gravity slingshot
Translations (8)
de Schwerkraftumlenkung (the favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body) · de Gravitationsmanöver (the favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body) · tr kütleçekimsel sapan (the favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body) · pl asysta grawitacyjna (the favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body) · fi painovoimalinko (the favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body) · de Vorbeischwungmanöver (the favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body) · hu gravitációs tér felhasználása (the favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body) · de Swing-by (the favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body)