Explore a gravity assist - a hyperbolic flyby that can raise heliocentric speed by about +10 km/s in the Voyager / Jupiter teaching case.
Published teaching figure: Voyager Jupiter assist ~+10 km/s heliocentric speed gain (order of magnitude). Hohmann Transfer 3D teaches two burns on ellipses - this page teaches a flyby assist.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Scrub periapsis, scrub flyby phase, or play/pause the craft.
Gravitational Slingshot 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows a gravitational slingshot - a hyperbolic flyby past a moving planet that can raise heliocentric speed. The Voyager / Jupiter literacy case is about +10 km/s.
Scrub periapsis to bend the path, scrub flyby phase, or play/pause the craft. Hohmann Transfer 3D owns two-burn ellipses; Escape Velocity 3D owns local launch speeds - this page owns the flyby assist.
- Planet with prograde velocity arrow
- Blue hyperbolic flyby path
- Spacecraft scrub along the path with play/pause
- Periapsis distance scrubber in planet radii
- Published ~+10 km/s Voyager / Jupiter teaching figure
- Distinct from hohmann-transfer and escape-velocity
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
Students see why a planet can "throw" a probe; teachers contrast assists with Hohmann burns; curious readers connect Voyager's path to a one-screen schematic.
| Figure | Value | Source note |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching delta-v | ~+10 km/s | Voyager Jupiter assist order of magnitude |
| Geometry | hyperbolic flyby | Not a closed transfer ellipse |
| Contrast | vs Hohmann burns | See Hohmann Transfer 3D sibling |
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached; no scene data is sent to a server.
This is an educational gravity-assist schematic - not an N-body ephemeris.
For a step-by-step walkthrough, read the Gravitational Slingshot 3D Explorer step-by-step guide. The Space 3D collection also includes Hohmann Transfer 3D and Escape Velocity 3D.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Gravitational Slingshot 3D Explorer show?
A teaching schematic of a hyperbolic flyby past a moving planet, with the Voyager / Jupiter ~+10 km/s literacy figure and periapsis / flyby scrubbers.
How is this different from Hohmann Transfer 3D?
Hohmann Transfer 3D teaches two burns on elliptical orbits. This page teaches a flyby gravity assist on a hyperbola.
How is this different from Escape Velocity 3D?
Escape Velocity 3D compares local launch speeds from a body. This page shows how a planetary flyby can change heliocentric speed.
What does periapsis change?
A closer flyby bends the hyperbola more. The scrubber is in planet radii on a teaching scale.
Is +10 km/s exact for every assist?
No. It is an order-of-magnitude Voyager / Jupiter teaching figure. Real assists depend on geometry and epoch.
Is this an N-body simulator?
No. It is an educational gravity-assist schematic - not an N-body ephemeris.