➡️Flyby

A mission in which a spacecraft passes close to a celestial body.

🚂Fuselage

The main central body of an aircraft that holds crew and payload.

🌍Geostationary Orbit

A circular orbit 35,786 km above the equator matching Earth's rotation.

🔧Gimbal

A pivoted mount that allows a rocket engine to be steered.

🛰️Global Positioning System

A satellite-based system that provides precise position and time worldwide.

🏠Hangar

A large building used for housing, maintaining, or repairing aircraft.

🧭Heading Indicator

A gyroscopic instrument that displays the aircraft's direction of flight.

🛡️Heat Shield

A protective barrier that dissipates extreme heat during atmospheric reentry.

🧠Human Factors

The study of how humans interact with aerospace systems and environments.

🧭Inertial Navigation System

A self-contained navigation system using accelerometers and gyroscopes.

🧑‍✈️Instrument Flight Rules

Regulations for flying primarily by reference to cockpit instruments.

📡Instrument Landing System

A ground-based radio system that guides aircraft precisely to the runway.

🔥Jet Engine

A reaction engine that produces thrust by expelling heated gases rearward.

📥Lander

A spacecraft designed to descend and rest on a celestial body's surface.

🛞Landing Gear

The undercarriage system that supports an aircraft on the ground.

🏗️Launch Pad

The platform from which a rocket or spacecraft is launched.

⬆️Lift

The upward aerodynamic force that opposes weight and enables flight.

🌐Low Earth Orbit

An orbit relatively close to Earth's surface, typically below 2,000 km.

🎯Multistage Rocket

A launch vehicle using multiple stages that separate as fuel is consumed.

🔩Nacelle

A streamlined housing on an aircraft that encloses an engine.

🧮Orbital Mechanics

The study of the motion of spacecraft and celestial bodies under gravity.

🔄Orbiter

A spacecraft designed to enter orbit around a celestial body for study.

🛡️Payload Fairing

A protective nose cone that shields a payload during launch.

📍Periapsis

The point in an orbit closest to the body being orbited.

🔧Pitot Tube

A heated probe that measures ram air pressure for the airspeed indicator.

⛽Propellant

The fuel and oxidizer combination burned to produce rocket thrust.

🌀Propeller

A rotating blade assembly that converts engine power into thrust.

⚙️Reaction Wheel

An electrically powered wheel used to control a spacecraft's attitude.

🔥Reentry

The return of a spacecraft into Earth's atmosphere from space.

🚀Rocket Engine

A propulsion system that carries both fuel and oxidizer for combustion.