Search results
Apr 29, 2024 · While the company behind the drive, Exodus Propulsion Technologies, says that the drive can achieve a thrust to counteract Earth’s gravity, such a claim still needs independent verification and ...
- Darren Orf
- Contributing Editor
At what distance does Earth no longer pull on an object? - BBC Science Focus Magazine.
A gravity assist, gravity assist maneuver, swing-by, or generally a gravitational slingshot in orbital mechanics, is a type of spaceflight flyby which makes use of the relative movement (e.g. orbit around the Sun) and gravity of a planet or other astronomical object to alter the path and speed of a spacecraft, typically to save propellant and reduce expense.
A Gravity Assist Primer 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-orbiting communications satellite whose launch vehicle failed to place it in its intended geosynchronous orbit. Some History Several robotic spacecraft have used the […]
Jul 11, 2005 · The orbit of a spacecraft is primarily determined by the gravity of a single large central body like the sun, Earth, or, in the case of the Cassini spacecraft, Saturn.
In the third animation, you'll see that part of the orbit comes closer to Earth's surface than the rest of it does. This is called the periapsis of the orbit. The mountain represents the highest point in the orbit. That's called the apoapsis. The altitude affects the time an orbit takes, called the orbit period.
Space travel under constant acceleration is a hypothetical method of space travel that involves the use of a propulsion system that generates a constant acceleration rather than the short, impulsive thrusts produced by traditional chemical rockets. For the first half of the journey the propulsion system would constantly accelerate the ...
