Comparison of Trajectory Profiles and Nuclear-propulsion-module Arrangements for Manned Mars and Mars-Venus Missions

Download or read book Comparison of Trajectory Profiles and Nuclear-propulsion-module Arrangements for Manned Mars and Mars-Venus Missions written by Edward A. Jr Willis and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A brief comparison is made between opposition class (with three impulse return), conjunction class, Venus swing-by to Mars and Mars-Venus double stopover trajectories. Vehicle configurations based on NERVA-I engines of varying life and restart capability are considered. It is found that the opposition and Venus swingby trajectories to Mars yield competitive mission performance; the double stopover entails about 30-percent penalties in initial mass and trip time; and that the minimum-weight vehicle uses a single, restartable engine.