The minimum speed an object needs to break free of a body's gravitational pull without further propulsion. Earth's escape velocity from the surface is about 11.2 kilometers per second, a figure every launch vehicle must ultimately overcome to leave Earth orbit entirely.
Facts
Concept Domain Formulated YearThe escape-velocity relation follows directly from Newton's law of universal gravitation, published in the Principia in 1687; the term itself came into general use later. Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
The Moon has a much lower escape velocity than Earth
Voyager 1, Spacecraft Voyager 1 exceeded the Sun escape velocity from its position
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationEscape velocity, lead section
the escape velocity is referred to as the second cosmic velocity
- Associated With: Orbital Mechanics
- Associated With: Delta-v
View the Source 2. Encyclopedia Britannica: Space Exploration
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