Science Fact Finder | Space - What Did Nasa Mean By Voyager 2 Taking A "Grand Tour" Of The Planets?

What did NASA mean by Voyager 2 taking a "grand tour" of the planets?

Voyager 2, launched in 1977, visited four planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—before exiting the solar system. The spacecraft was able to undertake this "grand tour" because of the particular way the outer planets were lined up in the late 1970s. The planets formed a continuous curve, so that a spacecraft could rely on a technique called "gravity assist" to travel between planets without using additional rocket motors. Gravity assist is a method of propulsion in which the gravitational pull of one planet is used to propel a spacecraft toward its target.

Sources: Angelo, Joseph A. The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia, Rev. and updated ed., p. 219; Neal, Valerie, et. al. Spaceflight: A Smithsonian Guide, pp. 178-79.

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