Heliocentric orbits concentric and coplanar with Earth’s are placed 19.5% farther from the Sun to naturally maintain a synodic period of 4.27 years, exactly twice that of Mars with Earth. Phasing conditions for infrastructure in these synodic-resonant orbits are developed to minimize propulsive requirements when a 5-day loiter period at this infrastructure is planned during an Earth/Mars transit. With an in-transit loiter, more mass can be transported between Earth and Mars over time than with direct transits if the infrastructure functions as a waypoint to replenish propellant and other consumables while payload is optionally offloaded or supplemented. Four synodic-resonant waypoints cover all Earth/Mars transit opportunities, serve as Earth/Mars communication relays, and offer useful forward/turnaround abort options not available to direct transits. Prospects for constructing a waypoint from known asteroids in nearby orbits are also assessed.
Synodic-Resonant Earth/Mars Waypoints
Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets ; 62 , 3 ; 999-1017
01.05.2025
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Notable Two-Synodic-Period Earth-Mars Cycler
Online Contents | 2006
|Notable Two-Synodic-Period Earth-Mars Cycler
AIAA | 2006
|Realization of a Two-Synodic-Period Earth-Mars Cycler
AIAA | 2016
|