Meanings
lithobraking1
- humorousuncountablespace flightDeceleration of a falling object due to impact with the ground.
Beagle 2 has successfully completed its critical lithobraking maneuver, marking another step for robotkind.
2003 December 26, Paul F Austin, “Lithobraking maneuver complete”, in alt.peeves (Usenet)2 more examples
In a big impact there is not enough time for the ejecta to radiatively cool in transit, so that reëntry (either aerobraking in the atmosphere or lithobraking at the surface) further heats already hot ejecta.
2006, Paul J. Thomas, Roland D. Hicks, Christopher F. Chyba, Christopher P. McKay, Comets and the Origin and Evolution of Life, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 238I don't want us on a freeflight trajectory that entails lithobraking if we lose power and can't get the sail back.
2015, Charles Stross, Accelerando, Booklassic, →ISBN
lithobraking2
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of lithobrake
Origin
lithobraking · noun
From litho- (“pertaining to stone”) + braking, by analogy to aerobraking. First attested in c. 1999.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
lithobraking. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lithobraking
“lithobraking.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lithobraking. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lithobraking,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lithobraking.
Source: lithobraking on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.