lithocapture
UK/ˈlɪ.θoʊˌkæp.t͡ʃə//ˈlɪ.θoʊˌkæp.t͡ʃɚ/
lithocapture noun: a form of lithobraking in which a spacecraft or other object on a hyperbolic trajectory inbound to a planet, moon, asteroid, or other celestial body is decelerated by impact with the surface of the body.
Noun
lithocapture (countable and uncountable, plural lithocaptures)
- A form of lithobraking in which a spacecraft or other object on a hyperbolic trajectory inbound to a planet, moon, asteroid, or other celestial body is decelerated by impact with the surface of the body.
- If the initial orbit is hyperbolic, lithobraking would properly be termed lithocapture.2020, Jonathan C. McDowell, “Astronautical Glossary”, in Jonathan's Space Report, retrieved 21 Feb 2021
Verb
lithocapture (third-person singular simple present lithocaptures, present participle lithocapturing, simple past and past participle lithocaptured)
- To perform lithocapture.
Forms of lithocapture
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | lithocaptures |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | lithocaptures |
| present participle | lithocapturing |
| past participle | lithocaptured |
| past | lithocaptured |
Origin of lithocapture
From litho- (“pertaining to stone”) + capture, coined as a pun on aerocapture and lithobraking.
Questions about lithocapture
- What does lithocapture mean?
- Lithocapture means a form of lithobraking in which a spacecraft or other object on a hyperbolic trajectory inbound to a planet, moon, asteroid, or other celestial body is decelerated by impact with the surface of the body.
- What part of speech is lithocapture?
- Lithocapture can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce lithocapture?
- Lithocapture is pronounced /ˈlɪ.θoʊˌkæp.t͡ʃɚ/ (US).
- What is the plural of lithocapture?
- The plural of lithocapture is lithocaptures.
Words near lithocapture in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: lithocapture (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.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-lithocapture.ogg.
Cite this entry: “lithocapture.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/lithocapture. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.