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How are slingshot mechanisms used to accelerate interplanetary spacecraft?
Good question. Imagine a spacecraft is approaching a planet. The planet is moving around the sun. The spacecraft path is adjusted to approach the trailing limb of the planet -- the rear edge of the planet when you look at its orbit around the sun, not its dark side. The planet pulls on the spacecraft as it goes by (and actually the spacecraft pulls on the planet, too). If the spacecraft were close enough to the planet, and traveling slowly enough, it would be captured by the planet. But it is possible to put the space craft in a path so that will not be captured--it can be pulled by the planet so that the spacecraft gains velocity. The planet loses velocity, but since planets are huge and spacecraft small, the planet's velocity is barely affected. It is hard to visualize this, but imagine a ping pong ball being struck by a soccerball in mid-air (this would make a good science class demonstration)--the ping pong ball will pick up tremendous speed by being struck by a heavier ball. The heavy ball will hardly notice it. You can do this by dropping the soccer ball with the ping pong ball on top of it. Slingshotting a spacecraft (also called gravity assist) works in a similar way except the spacecraft would be pulled by the planet's gravity instead of being pushed (as with the two-ball demonstration).
Does distance traveled by an orbiting spacecraft is circumference or area?
It is circumference, for a circular orbit
List 3 differences between an aircraft and spacecraft?
I don't know ,I asked u and ur telling me to answer
How many miles do the voyager 1 or 2 spacecraft travel in one second?
300 000km/sec approx
The color you see when you look in a mirror is the color of whatever is reflected in the mirror but does a mirror have its own color?
Of course. Mirrors do not reflect every color the same. Usually you would not notice this, because mirrors are desireable because of the lack of color in the reflection. Mirrors can be made of many things, copper (used for lasers), aluminum (used for telescopes), rhodium (used for some optical devices). They each have characteristic reflectivity at various wavelengths. Spacecraft often have mylar coated with gold reflective insulation because it has great reflectivity in the infrared to reflect the heat from the Sun. Of course it looks golden-yellow-green to us. To directly view the colors of various mirrors, simply observe various metal samples. For example, compare the color of a silver spoon with a stainless steel spoon, and hold both near a flat piece of aluminum foil. Mirrors made from the same metals will show these same colors.
What is the plural for spacecraft?
The plural for spacecraft is spacecraft.
Is spacecraft singular or plural?
Spacecraft is both singular and plural. You can have one spacecraft or many spacecraft.
What spacecraft asteroid 951?
The spacecraft that found asteroid951 was the Galileo Spacecraft..I think..
What is the singular possessive of the word spacecraft?
The singular possessive form of "spacecraft" is "spacecraft's."
What color is the sky on Venus?
A Soviet spacecraft that landed on Venus showed the sky to be yellow in a picture but this is because of the sulferous clouds in the Venusian atmosphere.
What is a spacecraft without people on board called?
A spacecraft without people on board is called an unmanned spacecraft or a robotic spacecraft. These types of spacecraft are operated remotely from Earth or operate autonomously.
What is the name of a spacecraft?
the hubble spacecraft is one
What is the name of the first spacecraft to map the planet Mercury?
The First spacecraft was the MESSENGER. The First spacecraft was the MESSENGER.
What spacecraft gave us the first close-up photographs of mercurys surface?
the spacecraft is the MESSENGER i the spacecraft is the MESSENGER i
What spacecraft landed on mars moons?
The Mariner spacecraft landed on the planet Mars, and the Apollo spacecraft landed on the moon.
What is the name of America's two man spacecraft?
gemini spacecraft
What is a fuel cell and why is it useful in spacecraft?
it lifts up the spacecraft
