gravity assist
Syllables: grav·i·ty as·sist/ˈɡɹævɪti əˈsɪst/
gravity assist noun: the favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body.
Noun
gravity assist (plural gravity assists)
- The favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body.
- After going into orbit around Jupiter with a gravity assist from the volcanic moon Io, Galileo will spend 22 months studying the planet.1989 October 10, Warren E. Leary, “Galileo's Itinerary”, in New York Times, retrieved 04 Sep 2011
- Cassini is supposed to swing by Earth in 1999 for a gravity assist that would sling it out toward Saturn.1997 September 22, Dick Thompson, Michael D. Lemonick, “Nukes in Space”, in Time
- Synonyms:
- gravitational slingshot, gravity slingshot
Synonyms of gravity assist
Forms of gravity assist
| plural | gravity assists |
|---|---|
| alternative form | gravitational assist |
| alternative form | gravity-assist |
Words formed from gravity assist
Questions about gravity assist
- What does gravity assist mean?
- Gravity assist means the favorable alteration of the speed and trajectory of a spacecraft as a result of its passing near to a celestial body.
- What part of speech is gravity assist?
- Gravity assist is a noun.
- How do you pronounce gravity assist?
- Gravity assist is pronounced /ˈɡɹævɪti əˈsɪst/.
- What is the plural of gravity assist?
- The plural of gravity assist is gravity assists.
Words near gravity assist in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: gravity assist (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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