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To: SampleMan
How can space probes etc. use planets to slingshot to a higher speed (perhaps the MSM just reports wrong)?

"slingshot" orbital speedups are gained by having the spacecraft fly by a planet or moon starting at exactly the right place that the planet gives up energy from its forward orbital motion to the spacecraft. What this means is that every time we use Jupiter to speed up a probe, the planet slows down slightly. if we sent a really, really large number of probes by Jupiter this way, we could get it to fall into the Sun.

55 posted on 08/18/2006 8:19:37 AM PDT by BlazingArizona
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