retrorocket
1
8.8
- noun
- /ˈrɛtroʊˌrɒkɪt/
- Specialized
:
retrorreactor
- Just before landing, the retrorocket at the base of the ship will fire to slow down its descent.
- fire the retrorockets
Examples
-
From a NASA publication that happens to be in the playroom, TSP can deduce the time scale over which the retrorockets are fired for the Mars landing, which is also the time scale over which Mars's gravity gets effectively turned on.
Academic text (1996) -
Ready to fire retrorockets.
-
You must fire the retrorockets before the shuttle crashes.
Academic text (1998) -
Ready to fire retrorockets.
-
It's just the retrorockets and the landing struts deploying.
Fiction book (2001) -
If the altimeter read 1,080 feet when you landed, then how much time do you have to fire the retrorockets to avoid crashing?
Academic text (1998) -
"Retrorockets," Pancho muttered.
Fiction book (2001) -
What strikes him is that when the spaceship approaches Mars and prepares for landing by firing its retrorockets, the pool table is not initially horizontal with respect to the direction of gravity at the place on Mars where the spaceship is going to land.
Academic text (1996) -
The engineers tested the retrorockets to ensure they would work effectively during the spacecraft's approach.
-
To safely land on Mars, the astronauts will activate the retrorockets to reduce their speed just before touching down.
Synonyms
291
7.4
A small rocket engine that moves or turns a ship in space
5
3.6
A machine that makes a push by throwing out its own fuel very fast for spaceships or missiles
A rocket engine that fires backward to slow a spacecraft
A machine like a jet or rocket that pushes a vehicle by throwing fast gas out the back
How Powerful
- Specialized
1
8.8
- Specialized
291
7.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Retrorocket joins retro- meaning 'back' and rocket, so it is a rocket that fires 'backwards' to slow, stop, or change the direction of a spacecraft.