Challenge Aldrin cycler

[flying coffin]

Here's the challenge: create 2 Aldrin Cyclers, one inbound (mars->earth)
and one outbound (earth->mars). Use some sort of station SSBB, ISS, whatever for each.
Launch a DG (or XR2 or whatever) dock with the outbound cycler, ride it to Mars, land on mars, drink a few beers or whatever, then catch the inbound cycler and ride it to earth. Land on earth.

Here's a couple of links explaining Aldrin cyclers

This is especially interesting because an Aldrin cycler has to do a gravity assist on each earth flyby to alter it's orbit.

 

[flytandem]

Getting an outbound cycler was fairly straighforward and then getting an inbound one going was also straightforward. But it seemed I arrived at Mars about 3 months behind when the homeward bound cycler had left. So it would mean a lengthy wait on Mars for the homeward cycler to come around again. Plus it does appear to need a healthy deltaV both in heading outbound and to come home. I wonder what the advantage is if the wait is long and the deltav is high? It does minimize the time spent while in space. Maybe that's the advantage? Maybe I'm missing something/ remember I have no training in any of this and minimal patience to learning theory but do have a lot of time clicking transx buttons.

 

[C3PO]

As I understand the cycler model is to use ONLY gravity assists to achieve the orbit. This way you can have hab modules in continuous orbit, and use smaller craft to do a hyperbolic rendezvous at each end of the cycle. This way the habs only have to be accelerated once, and then be reused.

 

[flytandem]

Yes that's how I understood it too. But the deltaV passing both Mars and Earth were quite large as compared to a more hohmann type of transfer.

Perhaps the fun challenge is to first get a ship to depart Earth that will be the returning cycler and then a while later (18 months?) launch an outbound cycler that are actually 2 separate ships docked together. They would need MCCs to keep them on track. The inbound cycler will probably sling Mars while the outbound is enroute. That inbound will have to sling for Earth. A few days before getting to Mars with the outbound cycler, the two ships separate and one does a landing. Then keep the outbound ship on a course for Earth and also keep an eye on the original inbound cycler DG that will soon sling Earth back to Mars. Do MCCs to keep it heading to Mars. A couple of days before the inbound passes by Mars send the Mars landed ship into orbit and eject to rendezvous with it. To continue the challenge it would be to not just return but to make it a sling back to Mars and a few days before gett to Earth separate a DG for a landing while a second DG starts at Earth to eject to rendezvous with the passing DG. The eject burn and the reentry will probably be happening about the same time give or take an hour and maybe even within minutes of one another or even at the same time?