Aerobraking

After the last pass, if the spacecraft shall stay in orbit, it must be given more kinetic energy via rocket engines in order to raise the periapsis above the atmosphere.

The spacecraft must have sufficient surface area and structural strength to produce and survive the required drag, The temperatures and pressures associated with aerobraking are not as severe as those of atmospheric reentry or aerocapture.

[1] The force density (i.e. pressure), roughly 0.2 N per square meter,[2] that was exerted on the Mars Observer during aerobraking is comparable to the aerodynamic resistance of moving at 0.6 m/s (2.16 km/h) at sea level on Earth, approximately the amount experienced when walking slowly.

[7] Another related technique is that of aerogravity assist, in which the spacecraft flies through the upper atmosphere and uses aerodynamic lift instead of drag at the point of closest approach.

Since no spacecraft can yet aerobrake safely on its own, this requires constant attention from both human controllers and the Deep Space Network.

During the termination phase of the mission, a "windmill experiment" was performed: Atmospheric molecular pressure exerts a torque via the windmill-sail-like oriented solar cell wings, the necessary counter-torque to keep the probe from spinning is measured.

The spacecraft used its solar panels as "wings" to control its passage through the tenuous upper atmosphere of Mars and lower the apoapsis of its orbit over the course of many months.

Unfortunately, a structural failure shortly after launch severely damaged one of the MGS's solar panels and necessitated a higher aerobraking altitude (and hence one third the force) than originally planned, significantly extending the time required to attain the desired orbit.

In 2014, an aerobraking experiment was successfully performed on a test basis near the end of the mission of the ESA probe Venus Express.

[19] In Robert A. Heinlein's 1948 novel Space Cadet, aerobraking is used to save fuel while slowing the spacecraft Aes Triplex for an unplanned extended mission and landing on Venus, during a transit from the Asteroid Belt to Earth.

In the 2004 TV series Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets the crew of the international spacecraft Pegasus perform an aerobraking manoeuvre in Jupiter's upper atmosphere to slow them down enough to enter Jovian orbit.

In the fourth episode of Stargate Universe, the Ancient ship Destiny suffers an almost complete loss of power and must use aerobraking to change course.

In the 2014 film Interstellar, astronaut pilot Cooper uses aerobraking to save fuel and slow the spacecraft Ranger upon exiting the wormhole to arrive in orbit above the first planet.

The pilot begins to pull back on the stick, applying elevator pressure to hold the nose high.

The nose-high attitude exposes more of the craft's surface-area to the flow of air, which produces greater drag, helping to slow the plane.