Pass (spaceflight)

Okay kiddo, so you know how when we want to go somewhere far away, we use a car or a plane? Well sometimes, people want to go REALLY far away, like outer space! And to do that, they use a special type of vehicle called a spacecraft.

Now, going to space is not easy. It takes a lot of energy to break free from Earth's gravity and launch into space. But once the spacecraft is up there, it doesn't need to keep using its energy to keep going. Instead, it can use the gravity of other planets and moons to help it move and change direction!

But sometimes, the spacecraft needs to get even further away from Earth, and to do that, it needs to use even MORE energy. And that's where a "pass" comes in. A pass is when the spacecraft uses the gravity of a planet or moon to speed up and change direction, without needing to use too much of its own energy.

It's kind of like when you throw a ball at a wall, and it bounces back towards you - except in space, the spacecraft is the ball and the planet or moon is the wall! By flying close to a planet or moon at just the right angle and speed, the spacecraft can use its gravity to slingshot it into a new direction and speed. It's a very clever way to travel far distances without using too much energy!

So that's what a pass is all about - using the gravity of other objects in space to help a spacecraft move around and explore the universe. Pretty cool, huh?