Where does this come from, and can I check it?

At L4 and L5 a spacecraft can hold a stable position with minimal fuel. The figure is taken from NASA, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a space fact?

Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

There are five gravitational parking spots near Earth

At L4 and L5 a spacecraft can hold a stable position with minimal fuel Lagrange points are places where the pulls of two bodies combine to match the rotation of the system. L1, L2 and L3 are unstable saddle points that need small corrections. L4 and L5 form stable triangles and collect asteroids along planetary orbits. It sits in Mondo's space collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

NASA

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Science trivia

More facts like this

Lagrange points provide stable orbital parking spots in spaceGravitational forces balance orbital motion at five points around two bodies Orbiting low means moving fastAt 400 kilometres altitude a satellite needs nearly 8 kilometres a second A comet's tail points away from the SunThe ions are pushed by the solar wind, not dragged behind the motion Geostationary satellites sit 35,786 kilometres upAt that height one orbit takes a day, so the craft appears to hang still Mars launch windows open about every 26 monthsSpacecraft wait for the planets to line up along an elliptical path Astronauts on the station are not escaping gravityThe station falls around Earth where gravity is about 90 percent of surface strength

Tags: orbits, lagrange, physics

There are five gravitational parking spots near Earth: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: At L4 and L5 a spacecraft can hold a stable position with minimal fuel. The figure is taken from NASA, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a space fact?: Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.