aerobraking
/ˈɛroʊˌbreɪkɪŋ/
noun
- A spaceflight maneuver in which a spacecraft uses the drag of a planet's atmosphere to slow down and change its orbit.
- Engineers carefully calculated the aerobraking path to avoid burning up in the atmosphere.
- Aerobraking is a key technique for missions that need to orbit planets with thick atmospheres.
- The spacecraft used aerobraking to enter Mars orbit without using extra fuel.