Mars parking orbit selectionFor a Mars mission, the selection of a parking orbit is greatly influenced by the precession caused by the oblateness of the planet. This affects the departure condition for earth return, and therefore, the mass required in LEO for a Mars mission. In this investigation, minimum LEO mass penalties were observed for parking orbits characterized by having near-equatorial inclinations, high eccentricities, and requiring a three-dimensional departure burn. However, because near-equatorial inclination orbits have poor planetary coverage characteristics, they are not desirable from a science viewpoint. To enhance these science requirements along with landing-site accessibility, a penalty in initial LEO mass is required. This study shows that this initial LEO mass penalty is reduced for orbits characterized with low to moderate eccentricities, nonequatorial inclinations, and a tangential periapsis arrival and departure burn.
Document ID
19900065928
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Desai, Prasun N. (NASA Langley Research Center; George Washington University Hampton, VA, United States)
Braun, Robert D. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)