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Successful lithobraking requires a spacecraft capable of impacting the planet or moon at high velocity, or protecting the probe with sufficient cushioning to withstand an impact with the surface undamaged. Incoming angles are made shallow enough such that the impact has the characteristic of a
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glancing blow, rather than a direct impact on the surface. Lithobraking can be combined with other braking techniques, where the velocity of a lander can be reduced using retrorockets or parachutes, and it can be protected from the force of impact by cushioning air bags or shock absorbers.
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In the absence of a thick atmosphere, lithobraking is difficult due to the extremely high orbital velocities of most bodies. However, the orbital velocity of small moons (for example, Phobos), asteroids, and comets can be sufficiently small for this strategy to be feasible. For example,
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Lithobraking is used to refer to the result of a spacecraft crashing into the rocky surface of a body with no measures to ensure its survival, either by accident or with intent. For instance, the term has been used to describe the impact of
188:, and the train then slowing. This technique requires extremely precise guidance and control, in addition to a large infrastructure, and is thus not yet a viable option – although it may be in the future.
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Instead of attempting to slowly dissipate the incoming velocity, it can be used to enable the probe to penetrate the surface. This can be tried on bodies with low gravitation, such as
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had proposed the idea of a slide landing on the Moon, where a spacecraft's orbit is tangent to the lunar surface, and the spacecraft skids to a stop by sliding against the
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height to zero instantly, but with the unfortunate side effect that the spacecraft does not survive. Originally a whimsical euphemism, but increasingly a standard term."
141:, or on planets with atmospheres (by using only small parachutes, or no parachutes at all). Several such missions have been launched, including penetrators on the two
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26:" euphemism used by spacecraft engineers to refer to a spacecraft impacting the surface of a planet or moon. The word was coined by analogy with "
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after the spacecraft ran out of fuel. More recently, the term has also been used to describe the successful completion of the
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after separating from the orbiter, dissipating energy only through impact with the surface of the comet. The
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366:... the live feed dropped out at the heartbreaking/lithobraking moment of impact ...
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380:"Surface elements and landing strategies for small bodies missions – Philae and beyond"
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Second
Conference on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21St Century
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427:"Tiny German Spacecraft Poised for Hopping Landing on Asteroid Ryugu"
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303:"Kill The Messenger: NASA Orbiter Crashes Into Mercury"
277:"NASA's MESSENGER probe is crashing into Mercury today"
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to test lithobraking as a method of planetary defense.
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161:probe would have carried penetrators to the
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30:", slowing a spacecraft by intersecting the
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452:"Lunar Landing via a Linear Accelerator"
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80:Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)
356:from the original on November 17, 2022
425:Howell, Elizabeth (October 2, 2018).
378:Ulamec, Stephan; Biele, Jens (2009).
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301:Chappell, Bill (April 30, 2015).
275:Whitwam, Ryan (April 30, 2015).
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114:, passively landed on the comet
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350:Lunar and Planetary Institute
149:and ones for Mars itself on
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254:McDowell, Jonathan (2020).
63:End-of-mission lithobraking
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384:Advances in Space Research
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404:10.1016/j.asr.2009.06.009
262:. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
116:67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
145:targeted for Mars' moon
492:21st-century neologisms
346:"First Line of Defense"
450:Binder, A. B. (1988).
260:Astronautical Glossary
182:magnetically levitated
487:Spacecraft propulsion
130:in a similar manner.
143:Phobos probe landers
468:1988LPICo.652...26B
396:2009AdSpR..44..847U
229:Atmospheric reentry
126:landed on asteroid
90:Intact lithobraking
219:Aerogravity assist
206:Spaceflight portal
330:. Dictionary.com.
53:Jonathan McDowell
34:, with "lithos" (
16:Landing technique
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256:"Lithobraking"
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234:Skip reentry
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155:Deep Space 2
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128:162173 Ryugu
122:lander from
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20:Lithobraking
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214:Aerocapture
46:lithosphere
28:aerobraking
481:Categories
436:2020-09-13
240:References
32:atmosphere
431:Space.com
412:0273-1177
184:(maglev)
139:asteroids
124:Hayabusa2
84:Dimorphos
71:MESSENGER
354:Archived
192:See also
178:regolith
108:lander,
57:apoapsis
464:Bibcode
392:Bibcode
328:"litho"
307:NPR.org
159:LUNAR-A
151:Mars 96
102:Rosetta
76:Mercury
462:: 26.
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147:Phobos
135:comets
120:MASCOT
111:Philae
106:'s
186:train
74:into
41:λίθος
408:ISSN
362:2022
314:2020
285:2020
163:Moon
153:and
137:and
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400:doi
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