Solar SystemThe Physics of Gravitational Slingshots: Using Planets to Explore the Solar System
At its core, the gravitational slingshot is a beautiful demonstration of Newton’s laws of motion and universal gravitation. When a spacecraft approaches a moving planet, it falls toward the planet’s center due to gravity. As it dives close to the planet’s surface, it speeds up dramatically—just like a skateboarder shooting down a hill. But because the planet itself is moving, the spacecraft doesn’t just fall and bounce back; it also picks up some of the planet’s directional momentum.
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