yo-yo despin
A method of reducing the rotation rate of a rapidly-spinning spacecraft by unreeling a…A method of reducing the rotation rate of a rapidly-spinning spacecraft by unreeling a pair of weights from the spinning spacecraft, greatly increasing the spacecraft's moment of inertia and transferring most of the spacecraft's angular momentum to the weights.
Meaning
1 senses(uncountable)A method of reducing the rotation rate of a rapidly-spinning spacecraft by unreeling a pair of weights from the spinning spacecraft, greatly increasing the spacecraft's moment of inertia and transferring most of the spacecraft's angular momentum to the weights.
Origin
From the cables being wrapped around the spacecraft and unreeling in the manner of a doublFrom the cables being wrapped around the spacecraft and unreeling in the manner of a double yo-yo.
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Word family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable