StoryNote logo

Taking the popular "tennis ball bouncing off a train" analogy literally (with the satellite as a tennis ball and the planet as a train): are the effects of a gravity assist on the orbits the same as if the satellite had literally bounced off the planet surface at that angle?

by /u/thefourthchipmunk in /r/askscience

Upvotes: 1

Favorite this post:
Mark as read:
Your rating:
Add this post to a custom list

StoryNote©

Reddit is a registered trademark of Reddit, Inc. Use of this trademark on our website does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by Reddit, Inc.