MSL "Heat shield woes" |
MSL "Heat shield woes" |
Feb 17 2008, 04:20 PM
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The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
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Feb 18 2008, 05:00 PM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1018 Joined: 29-November 05 From: Seattle, WA, USA Member No.: 590 |
Part of what I love about orbital mechanics problems is that they're so rich. In this case, although there's certainly a unique minimum-energy transfer orbit (which also has minimum arrival velocity) at any given launch window, there's a vast abundance of higher energy and higher arrival-speed orbits. That's true even if you insist on the transfer orbit being smoothly tangent to the orbit of Mars (as opposed to simply smashing straight into it from the side.) Also, since Mars has a highly elliptical orbit, even minimum-energy orbits will vary from one launch window to the next, with lower energy (and thus lower arrival velocity) when Mars is closer to the sun at arrival time.
Moral: You can get to Mars faster than a Hohmann orbit, but you'll be going faster when you get there. --Greg |
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