WMAP Spacecraft

WMAP used the Moon to gain velocity for a slingshot to L2. After 3 phasing loops around the Earth, WMAP flew just behind the orbit of the Moon, three weeks after launch. Using the Moon's gravity, WMAP steals an infinitesimal amount of the Moon's energy to maneuver into the L2 Lagrange point, one million miles (1.5 million km) beyond the Earth.

Credit: NASA / WMAP Science Team

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WMAP # 990387