Mars Mission Orbital Mechanics

[trigged]

I am looking for ideas for the transfer methods to Mars. I have done the basic Hohmann transfer, but I am looking for ideas on a 2-3 month path with a very high delta V. Any thoughts? I am also going through the different methods to get there. So far, I have Chemical, NTP, Ion, Solar Sail, and plasma. Any more that I have missed? I am also looking for info on these that would give me enough info for trade studies.<br />Eldon

 

[DuhFly]

Check out this site. <br />http://www.smad.com/Interplanetary_Round_Trip/simulations/

 

[spacester]

<img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /><br /><br />Music to my ears . . .<br /><br />Hi trigged, welcome to sdc. "Any thoughts?" Yes I do, perhaps more than you bargained for.<br /><br />Check out this thread and this one and this one as well.<br /><br />The second thread gives you numbers for 45-day trips.<br /><br />I have written software to calculate any transfer between any two bodies orbiting the Sun, including the return trip. It fully accounts for eccentric orbits. The problem is, it only runs on AutoCad (!)<br /><br />If you give me the year and the trip time, I can give you the deltaVs. Let me know if you would like explanations on the various types of trajectories.<br /><br />I'll have time this weekend to provide details . . . I'll have to check out duhfly's link, can't while here at work . . . <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[SpaceKiwi]

spacester will be the navigator when we decide to mount a SDC interplanetary mission. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>

 

[vogon13]

Dust of the blueprints and build yourself an Orion spaceship. Most spectacular thing you could ever see is a big Orion craft blasting into orbit from earth's surface. You could watch it all the way to orbit (with goggles).<br /><br />Make sure you take your potassium iodide tablets before you go. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[henryhallam]

I'm not sure if most of you guys have already seen it, but I <b>highly</b> recommend the simulator Orbiter, available from www.orbitersim.com . It's a free and highly detailed space flight sim, and you can try out a Mars flight yourself - either by working through everything on paper, or by downloading the TransX addon which lets you plot a course through various stages to take you on exactly the right path whether that's Hohmann transfer, hyperbolic or somewhere in between. You can even aerobrake into orbit on arrival and try to land at a specific point <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />As well as the main program, search Google for OrbiterSound and DeltaGliderIII - I'd consider these the "essential" addons for the program. It comes with various simulated craft (historical, realistic and fictional/easier to fly) including the STS but you can get updates for the Shuttles from other pages - it's possible to fly a complete satellite deployment or ISS docking flight right through to landing at KSC. There's even an incredible Apollo addon called NASSP, at https://sourceforge.net/projects/nassp/ Although it's not quite finished yet, and as such is a bit tricky to install and set up, flying an Apollo mission complete with the original instrument panels and even a simulation of the Apollo Guidance Computer is just brilliant. The object of the developers is that eventually you should be able to fly the Apollo missions using the original '60s flight manuals and a few extra notes.<br /><br />Oh yeah and it's all completely free.<br /><br />Sorry to ramble on but I think most people here would be interested. Trigged, it can certainly do what you propose, from planning out all stages of the orbital mechanics right through to actually flying the thing.

 

[trigged]

Well, I definetly appreciate the reponse. All of this is for a paper I am putting together for Col. James Voss, (ISS-2, and 5 shuttle missions) as he is the instructor for my Space Mission Design class at Auburn University. I am working on this as well as a Lunar mission plan.<br />Thanks for all of your help! Please keep it coming!!<br />Eldon

 

[nacnud]

Island one had a good site on advanced propulsion concepts but it is no longer there, maybe the way back machine can help. I think the original site was hosted at Marshall but I don't know.<br /><br />Remember Google is your friend<br />

 

[trigged]

Spacester... would you mind if I used this data in my report? (Thoroughly cited and documented of course...)<br />Eldon

 

[spacester]

<font color="yellow">would you mind if I used this data in my report?</font><br /><br />I'd be honored, be my guest, that's what it's there for. Very decent of you to ask.<br /><br />kiwi: Navigator, huh? Sounds good to me! I accept your offer, now let's get the ship built! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[trigged]

Thank you kindly. It will be in part of my trade study that is getting turned in today. Thanks again! I also have another question about solar sails. Is it possible to have an attached light source to use, such as a laser, etc? Just curious.<br />Eldon

 

[nacnud]

Yes, but the force generated from the light sorce is oposite the direction of the light beam, it would be best to use the light directly rather than bounce it off the light sail first.

 

[najab]

><i>I also have another question about solar sails. Is it possible to have an attached light source to use, such as a laser, etc? Just curious.</i><p>Not really. That's the the same idea as mounting a fan on a boat to blow into it's sails - it just won't work.</p>

 

[trigged]

Ahh... that whole physics (F=ma) thing slipped by me. But let me inquire about this... There is an idea about bringing along a fuel supply with this. Does this sound feasible other than you have to keep a laser focused on something that is accelerating at an incredible rate and an incredibly long distance. Sounds far-fetched, but this report is to consider what is possible in the next 10-20 years.<br /> http://www.newscientist.com/channel/space/mg18524846.500<br /><br />Eldon

 

[trigged]

Here is another question. Does anyone here remember the Timberwind project? Any updates on it other than historical stuff? Any new progress/resurrection planned?<br />Eldon

 

[trigged]

Spacester, what program did you use to run the simulations? FORTRAN, Matlab, etc? <br />Thanks!<br />Eldon