[KoRn]

It’s just AMAZING to me how they can so precisely plan all of those ‘gravity assist’ maneuvers around the planets over such distances over a period of years, and hit their target at the end of it.

[JRandomFreeper]

Not guys you want to play pool with. ;)

/johnny

[nikos1121]

It’s like hitting red pubic hair at 100 feet with a bb gun...

[cripplecreek]

Yeah. The Juno craft went out past the orbit of mars before falling back toward the sun to meet the earth at just the right place for a gravity assist on its way to Jupiter.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/main/index.html#.VFwwJMlIScs

[Rennes Templar]

That’s why God made math wonks.

[mwilli20]

Two things allow that.

The first is the use of Einstein's formulas. They allow for very precise trajectory and orbit calculations which would not have been possible with the old Newtonian physics.

The second and most important aspect are TCMs or trajectory correction maneuvers. All missions allow for a number of these maneuvers in the cruise and approach phases of the mission. These TCMs ensure that they hit the right orbit when they arrive.