A skew flip turnover is a maneuver in which an aircraft or spacecraft accelerates to a certain point, flips over (skew flip) and begins to accelerate in the opposite direction. Weaker spacecraft will accelerate up to a certain velocity, coast for a while, then decelerate to rest.
If the desired acceleration of the spacecraft is known (generally one g or 9.81 m/s²) and the transit time is to be calculated, the equation is
where
T = time (seconds) D = distance (m) A = acceleration (m/s2) 1 g = 9.81 m/s²The skew flip turnover was described in Robert A. Heinlein's book Have Space Suit—Will Travel.
References
Skew flip turnover Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA