Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Astrodynamics
/ˌæstroʊdaɪˈnæmɪks/noun
The mechanics of orbits and trajectories as applied to spacecraft.
The Greek roots
ἄστρον
ástron
star
δύναμις
dýnamis
power, force
Literally: “star forces”
The story of the word
Celestial mechanics handles what nature already put in orbit; astrodynamics handles what we launch, which means it has to deal with engines, fuel budgets and deliberate changes of course. The discipline is old Newtonian mathematics with a mid-twentieth-century name. δύναμις gave Nobel his dynamite in 1867 and gave Greek politics the δυναστεία that becomes dynasty, so the same root covers explosives, ruling families and getting a probe to Jupiter.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → scientific coinage → English
- First recorded
- 20th century
Same family
dynamicsdynastydynamiteastronomy
In a sentence
The astrodynamics team found a flyby that saved eleven months of cruise.
Half of astrodynamics is spent hunting for launch windows.