Der Europa Clipper der NASA verwendet den Mars, um die Distanz zu gehen – NASA

Europa Clipper, launched last October, flew by Mars today for its first gravity assist on the way to Jupiter. (This makes it the fastest Earth-Mars trip achieved by a spacecraft, at just 4.5 months.) Clipper’s closest approach to Mars was 550 mi. (884 km) at 12:57 EST (17:57 UTC). The flyby also provides the opportunity to test the spacecraft’s radar and thermal imager on Mars. Clipper’s trajectory will take it out a little further from the Sun, then loop back around to fly by Earth on December 5, 2026 for its second and final gravity assist on the way to Jupiter, arriving in April 2030.