Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Delta-v
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
{{short description|Measure of amount of effort to change trajectory}} {{other uses}} {{DISPLAYTITLE:Delta-''v''}} {{refimprove|date=March 2014}} '''Delta-''v''''' (also known as "[[Delta (letter)#Upper case|change]] in [[velocity]]"), symbolized as <math display="inline">{\Delta v} </math> and pronounced {{IPA|/dษltษ viห/}}, as used in [[flight dynamics (spacecraft)|spacecraft flight dynamics]], is a measure of the [[impulse (physics)|impulse]] per unit of spacecraft [[mass]] that is needed to perform a maneuver such as launching from or landing on a planet or moon, or an in-space [[orbital maneuver]]. It is a [[scalar (mathematics)|scalar]] that has the units of [[speed]]. As used in this context, it is not the same as the [[delta-v (physics)|physical change in velocity]] of said spacecraft. A simple example might be the case of a conventional rocket-propelled spacecraft, which achieves thrust by burning fuel. Such a spacecraft's delta-''v'', then, would be the change in velocity that spacecraft can achieve by burning its entire fuel load. Delta-''v'' is produced by [[reaction engine]]s, such as [[rocket engine]]s, and is proportional to the [[thrust]] per unit mass and the burn time. It is used to determine the mass of [[rocket propellant|propellant]] required for the given maneuver through the [[Tsiolkovsky rocket equation]]. For multiple maneuvers, delta-''v'' sums linearly. For interplanetary missions, delta-''v'' is often plotted on a [[porkchop plot]], which displays the required mission delta-''v'' as a function of launch date.
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)