escape velocity

noun, Physics, Rocketry.
1.
the minimum speed that an object at a given distance from a gravitating body must have so that it will continue to move away from the body instead of orbiting about it.
Origin
1950-55
Examples from the web for escape velocity
  • Give our picks a spin, then let us know if you have a favorite release perfectly suited for escape velocity.
  • His admission of ignorance reflects genuine puzzlement with the economy's failure to reach what he likes to call escape velocity.
  • Forget escape velocity, that's not even stall speed.
  • The gap between the rich and the poor has been growing wider for some time, but the really rich have now achieved escape velocity.
  • Lighter molecules travel faster at the same temperature and thus are more likely to reach escape velocity.
  • The ejecta travel through the atmosphere and may reach escape velocity.
  • Newer, more accurate measurements of its speed peg it above the escape velocity of our galaxy.
  • And depending on the impact speed it would be easy for them to reach escape velocity, thus not staying too close to the rock.
  • Such an asteroid impact could easily eject some smallish fragments at escape velocity.
  • Unlike cosmic rays, the symmetrical collisions in the collider can slow the products to below escape velocity, to plague us.
British Dictionary definitions for escape velocity

escape velocity

noun
1.
the minimum velocity that a body must have in order to escape from the gravitational field of the earth or other celestial body
escape velocity in Science
escape velocity
  (ĭ-skāp')   
The velocity needed for a celestial body to overcome the gravitational pull of another, larger body and not fall back to that body's surface. Escape velocity is determined by the mass of the larger body and by the distance of the smaller body from the larger one's center. Depending on its initial trajectory, a smaller body traveling at the escape velocity will either enter a periodic orbit around the larger body or recede from the surface of the larger body indefinitely. The escape velocity at the Earth's surface is about 11.2 kilometers per second (25,000 miles per hour); the escape velocity on the Moon's surface is 2.4 kilometers per second (5,300 miles per hour). The escape velocity within the event horizon of a black hole is higher than the speed of light; since nothing can exceed the speed of light, nothing—even light—can escape from within the event horizon of a black hole.
escape velocity in Culture

escape velocity definition


The speed an object must reach to escape the pull of gravitation exerted by another object.

Note: To overcome the gravitation of the Earth and place an artificial satellite in orbit, a rocket must reach a speed of about 25,000 miles per hour, or about seven miles per second.