Paradox of radiation of charged particles in a gravitational field continuously "upward". Whether the acceleration is from motion or from gravity makes no difference in the laws of physics. One can also understand it in terms of the equivalence of so-called gravitational mass and inertial mass. The mass in Newton's law of universal gravitation (gravitational mass) is the same as the mass in Newton's second law of motion (inertial mass). They cancel out when equated, with the result discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1638, that all bodies fall at the same rate in a gravitational field, independent of their mass. A famous demonstration of this principle was performed on the
Gravity assist Gravity assist In orbital mechanics and aerospace engineering, a gravitational slingshot, gravity assist maneuver, or swing-by is the use of the relative movement (e.g. orbit around the Sun) and gravity of a planet or other astronomical object to alter the path and speed of a spacecraft, typically to save propellant and reduce expense. Gravity assistance can be used to accelerate a spacecraft, that is, to increase or decrease its speed or redirect its path. The "assist" is provided by the motion of the gravitating body as it pulls on the spacecraft. The gravity assist maneuver was first used in 1959