noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A form of lithobraking in which a spacecraft or other object on a hyperbolic trajectory inbound to a planet, moon, asteroid, or other celestial body is decelerated by impact with the surface of the body. countable, humorous, uncountable

   "If the initial orbit is hyperbolic, lithobraking would properly be termed lithocapture."

Verb

1. 1
   To perform lithocapture. humorous

Example

More examples

"If the initial orbit is hyperbolic, lithobraking would properly be termed lithocapture."

Etymology

From litho- (“pertaining to stone”) + capture, coined as a pun on aerocapture and lithobraking.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.