TITLE:
Transfer Trajectory Design for Mars Exploration
AUTHORS:
Jing Lü, Mingming Zhang, Qishao Lu
KEYWORDS:
Invariant Manifolds; Differential Correction Method; Lyapunov Orbit; Aerobraking; Rotating and Static Atmospheric Environments
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics,
Vol.3 No.2A,
June
13,
2013
ABSTRACT:
With regard to the human exploration of Mars, low energy
transfer trajectory is designed for Mars exploration based on the combination
of invariant manifolds, differential correction and aerobraking methods. The
whole transfer trajectory is composed of four stages: 1) from the Earth parking
orbit to the Lyapunov orbit around Lagrange point L2 in the
Sun-Earth system; 2)
from the Lyapunov orbit around L2 to the Lyapunov orbit around L1 in
the Sun-Mars system; 3) from the Lyapunov orbit around L1 in
the Sun-Mars system to the large elliptical orbit around Mars; and 4)
from the large elliptical orbit around Mars to the near-Mars parking orbit. In
the first three stages, the circular restricted three-body problem is
considered, and the trajectory is designed by using invariant manifolds and the
differential correction method. The
simulation results show that the transfer trajectory designed by means of the
invariant manifolds of the Lyapunov orbit costs lower energy and shorter time
of flight than that designed by means of the invariant manifold of the Halo
orbit. In the fourth stage, the two-body problem is considered, and the aerobraking
method is applied. A comparative performance analysis of static and rotating
atmospheric models is carried out by using the details of duration, aerodynamic
loading of the Mars vehicle, and other orbital parameters. It is shown that, on
the low periareon where the influence of the atmospheric density increases, the
changes of orbit parameters between rotating and static atmospheric environments
are in large difference, such as orbital semimajor axis, orbital eccentricity, and so on. The influence of
Martian rotating atmospheric environment should be considered.