Gravity-Assist Mechanical Simulator for Outreach

  • Magazine Article
  • TBMG-15094
Published November 01, 2012 by Tech Briefs Media Group in United States
Language:
  • English

There is no convenient way to demonstrate mechanically, as an outreach (or inreach) topic, the angular momentum trade-offs and the conservation of angular momentum associated with gravityassist interplanetary trajectories. The mechanical concepts that underlie gravity assist are often misunderstood or confused, possibly because there is no mechanical analog to it in everyday experience. The Gravity Assist Mechanical Simulator is a hands-on solution to this longstanding technical communications challenge. Users intuitively grasp the concepts, meeting specific educational objectives.