suicide burn
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From being an engine burn whose failure results in destruction, thus seemingly requiring "suicidal" confidence or courage to attempt.
Noun
[edit]suicide burn (plural suicide burns)
- (astronautics) A method of soft-landing a rocket with a well-timed, high-thrust engine burn starting at the last possible second, such that it reaches a vertical speed of zero at precisely or almost precisely at the exact moment that it touches the landing pad and the engine shuts down.
- (astronautics) An instance of such a landing.
- A suicide burn is a more efficient method of landing than slowly decelerating over the length of a long descent, as a smaller proportion of the engine's thrust is spent fighting against gravity.
- (astronautics) A rocket firing during such a landing.