It’s called “ballistic capture,” and not only does the name completely rock, but some new research suggests it might be the ideal way to get to Mars.
In this recent article, Scientific American breaks down the idea of how to best reach the Red Planet. In the past, it was thought that we could only launch during a window, about every 26 months, when Earth and Mars’ orbits were aligned. And entry into Mars would be insane: “Spacecraft screaming along at many thousands of kilometers per hour would have to hit the brakes hard, firing retrorockets to swing into orbit. The burn can require hundreds of pounds of extra fuel, lugged expensively off Earth, and comes with some risk of failure that could send the craft careening past or even right into Mars.”
Now it seems this concept, called the Hohmann transfer, has been unseated by new research that shows a kinder, gentler way to get to Mars, anytime and without as many limitations: ballistic capture.
With ballistic capture, spacecrafts are “casually lobbed into a Mars-like orbit” flying ahead of the planet. The spacecraft sets its cruise slower than Mars’ revolutionary speed around the sun, and when the planet catches up with the spacecraft, its gravity snags it and pulls it into its orbit.
“It’s an eye-opener,” says James Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division. “It could be a pretty big step for us and really save us resources and capability, which is always what we’re looking for.”
Pros include carrying much less fuel, so it also requires a smaller rocket, therefore saving a ton of money and making the entire process more efficient–perfect for carrying gear and supplies to the Mars. Cons are it might add to an already long, arduous journey for any humans on board. Either way, it brings us one step closer to landing on Mars.
