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Ballistic Mercury orbiter mission via Venus and Mercury gravity assistsThis paper shows that it is possible to deliver a payload of 600 to 2000 kg to a 300-km circular orbit at Mercury, using the presently available NASA STS and a single-stage bipropellant chemical rocket. This superior payload performance is attained by swingbys of Venus, plus more importantly, the use of the reverse Delta-V/EGA process. In contrast to the familiar Delta-V/EGA process used to boost the launch energy by returning to earth for a gravity assist, the reverse process reduces the Mercury approach energy each time a spacecraft makes a near-resonant return to Mercury for a gravity assist and reduces the orbit-capture Delta-V requirement. The mission sequences for such high-performance missions are described, and example mission opportunities for the years 1990 to 2010 are presented.
Document ID
19900035220
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Yen, Chen-Wan Liu
(JPL Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
September 1, 1989
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of the Astronautical Sciences
Volume: 37
ISSN: 0021-9142
Subject Category
Astrodynamics
Accession Number
90A22275
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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