boost-glide
Sign in to savethumb|500px|Phases of a skip reentry Boost-glide, or skip-glide, is a class of atmospheric entry trajectories that follow a non-ballistic trajectory by employing aerodynamic lift in the high upper atmosphere. The term is mostly used to refer to a number of designs that used lift to extend the range of an otherwise shorter-ranged rocket.
~13 min read
Article
11 sectionsContents
- History
- Early concepts
- Post-war development
- Missile use
- Reentry vehicle use
- Flight mechanics
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- Bibliography
thumb|500px|Phases of a skip reentry Boost-glide, or skip-glide, is a class of atmospheric entry trajectories that follow a non-ballistic trajectory by employing aerodynamic lift in the high upper atmosphere. The term is mostly used to refer to a number of designs that used lift to extend the range of an otherwise shorter-ranged rocket.
Skip is a flight trajectory where the spacecraft goes in and out the atmosphere. Glide is a flight trajectory where the spacecraft stays in the atmosphere for a sustained flight period of time. In most examples, a skip reentry roughly doubles the range of suborbital spaceplanes and reentry vehicles over the purely ballistic trajectory. In others, a series of skips allows the range to be further extended.