Loading…
Loading contentLoading…
Loading contentUsing repeated shallow passes through the upper fringe of a planet's atmosphere to shed orbital energy through drag, gradually shrinking a large capture orbit into the desired one — trading time for a large saving in propellant. NASA's Mars orbiters, including Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, used months of aerobraking to reach their science orbits.
Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.