Why is the velocity of the Voyager spacecraft decreasing as it leaves the solar system?

Because as it travels, it is working against the gravitational field of the Sun. This causes its speed to constantly decrease as it gets farther away. If it did not have escape velocity from our solar system, it would eventually come to a stop ( meaning its radial velocity would be zero), and then begin to fall back into the solar system.


Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald
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