Slingshot maneuver

An slingshot manoeuvre is a spaceflight maneuver which uses a planet's atmosphere to increase the speed an object. A slingshot manoeuvre was used by the Destiny Expedition in 2009 when one of the Destiny's shuttles could not match the speed of the Destiny. The shuttle used a nearby planet to speed up and catch up to the Destiny. The opposite of an slingshot manoeuvre is a aerobraking manoeuvre.