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How aerobraking reshapes a spacecraft's orbit

Aerobraking uses brief passes through the thin upper atmosphere of a planet to reduce a spacecraft's orbital energy. Atmospheric drag lowers the farthest part of its orbit over repeated passes. It can save propellant, but the trajectory must limit heating and forces while accounting for changes in atmospheric density.

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missions

How a gravity assist changes a spacecraft's path

A spacecraft passing a moving planet can exchange energy with the planet's orbital motion. The encounter may increase or decrease the spacecraft's speed relative to the Sun while changing its direction. The planet's corresponding change is tiny because its mass is so much greater than the spacecraft's.

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