gravity assist

See also: gravity-assist

English

Alternative forms

• gravitational assist, gravity-assist

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

• gravitational slingshot, gravity slingshot

Derived terms

• Jupiter gravity assist / JGA

Translations

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

• Finnish: painovoimalinko
• German: Gravitationsmanöver n, Schwerkraftumlenkung f, Swing-by m, Vorbeischwungmanöver n
• Hungarian: gravitációs tér felhasználása
• Turkish: kütleçekimsel sapan

References

• “gravity assist”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.