Spacecraft can use the gravitional energy from Jupiter to perform a “slingshot” maneuver, gaining significant momentum and reaching the outer solar system with less fuel.
What worries me is that they’re stealing a little bit of Jupiter’s momentum every time. If they’re not careful it’ll fall towards the sun and we’ll have a Jupiter landing on our heads.
As the other commenter has stated, it’s not about the gravity - because you have to ultimately counter that gravity to escape. But it is about the kinetic energy of the planet as it orbits.
Context?
NASA uses Jupiter’s gravity well to slingshot craft into farther orbits. Edit: Farther trajectories may have been the better phrasing.
Spacecraft can use the gravitional energy from Jupiter to perform a “slingshot” maneuver, gaining significant momentum and reaching the outer solar system with less fuel.
Jupiter is used as a gravity assist to launch spacecraft further. This maneuver is known as a slingshot.
What worries me is that they’re stealing a little bit of Jupiter’s momentum every time. If they’re not careful it’ll fall towards the sun and we’ll have a Jupiter landing on our heads.
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It’s alright, we send someone out every few years to give it a bit of a wind up, like a grandfather clock.
sg1 taught us that, its either jupiter, or another gas giant or a black hole.
Not a physicist but i don’t think a black hole would work…
Why wouldn’t it? A gravity well is a gravity well. As long as you remain outside the event horizon it should work in the same way.
As the other commenter has stated, it’s not about the gravity - because you have to ultimately counter that gravity to escape. But it is about the kinetic energy of the planet as it orbits.
Ah ok. I remember we also did this with the Moon for one if the Apollo missions