Spacecraft can 'brake' in space using drag − advancing craft agility, space safety and planetary missions

Spacecraft can 'brake' in space using drag − advancing craft agility, space safety and planetary missions

When you put your hand out the window of a moving car, you feel a force pushing against you called drag. This force opposes a moving vehicle, and it's part of the reason why your car naturally slows to a stop if you take your foot off the gas pedal. But drag doesn't just slow down cars.

Spacecraft can ‘brake’ in space using drag − advancing craft agility, space safety and planetary missions

Planetary space probes such as Mars Odyssey use a technique called aerobraking to save fuel. NASA/JPLWhen you put your hand out the window of a moving car, you feel a force pushing against you called drag. This force opposes a moving vehicle, and it’s part of the reason why your car naturally slows to a stop if you take your foot off the gas pedal. But drag doesn’t just slow down cars. Aerospace engineers are working on using the drag force in s…

Spacecraft can 'brake' in space using drag − advancing craft agility, space safety and planetary missions - Science Tech Updates

Aerospace engineers are working on using the drag force in space to develop more fuel-efficient spacecraft and missions, deorbit spacecraft without creating as much space junk, and even place probes in orbit around other planets.

Spacecraft can ‘brake’ in space using drag − advancing craft agility, space safety and planetary missions - Tech and Science Post

When you put your hand out the window of a moving car, you feel a force pushing against you called drag. This force opposes a moving vehicle, and it’s part of the reason why your car naturally slows to a stop if you take your foot off the gas pedal. But drag doesn’t just slow down cars. Aerospace engineers are working on using the drag force in space to develop more fuel-efficient spacecraft and missions, deorbit spacecraft without creating as […