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  2. Dynamical friction - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamical_friction

    The effect of dynamical friction explains why the brightest (more massive) galaxy tends to be found near the center of a galaxy cluster. The effect of the two body collisions slows down the galaxy, and the drag effect is greater the larger the galaxy mass. When the galaxy loses kinetic energy, it moves towards the center of the cluster.

  3. Spacecraft flight dynamics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacecraft_flight_dynamics

    A space vehicle's flight is determined by application of Newton's second law of motion: =, where F is the vector sum of all forces exerted on the vehicle, m is its current mass, and a is the acceleration vector, the instantaneous rate of change of velocity (v), which in turn is the instantaneous rate of change of displacement.

  4. Orbital mechanics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_mechanics

    One must choose the one dominant gravitating body in each region of space through which the trajectory will pass, and to model only that body's effects in that region. For instance, on a trajectory from the Earth to Mars, one would begin by considering only the Earth's gravity until the trajectory reaches a distance where the Earth's gravity no ...

  5. Atmospheric entry - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_entry

    The sphere-cone was later used for space exploration missions to other celestial bodies or for return from open space; e.g., Stardust probe. Unlike with military RVs, the advantage of the blunt body's lower TPS mass remained with space exploration entry vehicles like the Galileo Probe with a half-angle of 45° or the Viking aeroshell with a ...

  6. Action at a distance - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_at_a_distance

    Action at a distance is the concept in physics that an object's motion can be affected by another object without the two being in physical contact; that is, it is the concept of the non-local interaction of objects that are separated in space. Coulomb's law and Newton's law of universal gravitation are based on action at a distance.

  7. Celestial mechanics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_mechanics

    3-body problem: Quasi-satellite; Spaceflight to, and stay at a Lagrangian point; In the = case (two-body problem) the configuration is much simpler than for >. In this case, the system is fully integrable and exact solutions can be found. [5] Examples: A binary star, e.g., Alpha Centauri (approx. the same mass)

  8. Accretion disk - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accretion_disk

    Accretion disk jets: Why do the disks surrounding certain objects, such as the nuclei of active galaxies, emit jets along their polar axes? These jets are invoked by astronomers to do everything from getting rid of angular momentum in a forming star to reionizing the universe (in active galactic nuclei), but their origin is still not well understood.

  9. Space physics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_physics

    Space physics, also known as space plasma physics, is the study of naturally occurring plasmas within Earth's upper atmosphere and the rest of the Solar System. It includes the topics of aeronomy , aurorae , planetary ionospheres and magnetospheres , radiation belts , and space weather (collectively known as solar-terrestrial physics [ 1 ] ).