Multiple free-return circumlunar cycler orbits were designed to allow regular travel between the Earth and Moon by a manned space station. The presented cycler orbits contain circumlunar free-return "figure-8" segments and yield lunar encounters every month. Smaller space "taxi" vehicles can rendezvous with (and depart from) the cycling Earth-Moon space station to enter lunar orbit (and/or land on the lunar surface), return to Earth, or reach destinations including Earth-Moon L1 and L2 halo orbits, near-Earth objects (NEOs), Venus, and Mars. To assess the practicality of the selected orbits, relevant cycler characteristics (including (Delta)V maintenance requirements) are presented and compared.
Circumlunar Free-Return Cycler Orbits for a Manned Earth-Moon Space Station
AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference ; 2015 ; Vail, CO, United States
2015-08-09
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Keine Angabe
Englisch
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