Difference between revisions of "Earth-Mars Transfer Trajectory"
(starting transfer trajectory page. this will take some work.) |
m (adding thumbnail) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
An Earth-Mars transfer trajectory is an orbital path which a spacecraft follows to travel between Earth and Mars. Several types of trajectories have been studied, but all must satisfy the following conditions: | An Earth-Mars transfer trajectory is an orbital path which a spacecraft follows to travel between Earth and Mars. Several types of trajectories have been studied, but all must satisfy the following conditions: | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Image: InSight Trajectory.jpg|thumb|left|px|Earth-Mars transfer trajectory of NASA's InSight lander, including planned trajectory correction maneuvers (TCMs)]] | ||
* The starting point must intersect the Earth in its orbit around the sun | * The starting point must intersect the Earth in its orbit around the sun | ||
Revision as of 05:52, 3 October 2018
An Earth-Mars transfer trajectory is an orbital path which a spacecraft follows to travel between Earth and Mars. Several types of trajectories have been studied, but all must satisfy the following conditions:
- The starting point must intersect the Earth in its orbit around the sun
- The ending point must intersect Mars in its orbit around the sun
- The intervening trajectory must be heliocentric, though one or more gravitational swing-bys of other bodies are allowed
There are many variations on this theme, such as whether the spacecraft ends in a Mars-centered orbit or if the spacecraft directly enters the atmosphere from the heliocentric transfer orbit. Other less common variations include the starting orbit at Earth, which could be a low Earth orbit or could instead the mission could begin from geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) as in the MEGA proposals of the late 90's, or one could vary the heliocentric portion of the flight to include a low-thrust trajectory.
