Flandro identifies a four-planet gravity-assist opportunity
Working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Gary Flandro examined the future positions of the outer planets and found that Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune would be arranged in the late 1970s so that a single spacecraft could be handed from one to the next by gravity assist. The result was not a new technique but a dated constraint: the geometry would close, and would not repeat for well over a century.
Historical — it happened, and the record is settled.
Subjects
- Gary Flandro · person · United States · not located
- Gravity assist · process · not located
Evidence
Partly verified — Core facts are sourced; some optional detail is deliberately absent.
Fast reconnaissance missions to the outer solar system utilizing energy derived from the gravitational field of Jupiter
The late-1970s alignment of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune permits a single spacecraft to reach all four by successive gravity assists, an opportunity recurring only on a timescale of roughly 175 to 176 years. V55 verification basis: NOT CHECKED IN THIS RUN. The title, journal, volume and year are given from standard citation practice and the search budget was exhausted before they could be confirmed; the 175 versus 176 year figure differs between accounts and is deliberately given as a range. A curator must verify this citation before publication.
Acta Astronautica · 1966 · Partly verified
Flandro, G. A., Acta Astronautica 12 (1966) — the published form of the 1965 JPL analysis of the outer-planet alignment
Recorded on Gary Flandro
- Flandro identifies a four-planet gravity-assist opportunity
- Voyager 1 closest approach to Jupiter
- Voyager 2 passes Saturn and continues towards Uranus
Related
Related because they share a subject in the Atlas — never because the text looks similar.
- Voyager 2 passes Saturn and continues towards Uranus · 1981-08-25
- Voyager 1 closest approach to Jupiter · 1979-03-05