This is a sling. Bottom right corner is a catapult and uses stored energy (the elastic - sorry if wrong wording.) To me at least the idea of a sling that pivots around the user's hand is much closer to the action of using a planet's gravitational pull to sling a satellite onwards.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sling_(weapon)

[–] Ziglin@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You wouldn't want to do it with a satellite and I've only ever heard of it being called a slingshot (which usually refers to the device pictured in the meme, likely increasing clarity) or a gravity assist.

The motion does seem to be more accurate though.

[–] d00ery@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Good point! A satellite is more likely to orbit a planet monitoring things I guess? It's been a while since I've played Kerbal Space Program.

[–] Ziglin@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago

Satellites are objects orbiting a planet or some other smaller object. One could argue that it is a satellite on the way though too.

I find the idea of an object like the moon doing a gravity assist around Jupiter to get to us very amusing.