So I've been reading the descriptions and pros & cons of various different orbits on this page: http://www.orbitermars.co.uk/stdorbit.htm
To check my understanding, can somebody please help me out with some comments on the following?
If I had just undocked with the ISS and wanted to go to the moon (so I have a large relative inclination to deal with), I'd have to do something like the following?
I thought of just doing the eject burn from the Periapsis of the elliptical orbit for maximum efficiency, but the timing isn't very likely to be correct, so we have to circularize first.
To check my understanding, can somebody please help me out with some comments on the following?
If I had just undocked with the ISS and wanted to go to the moon (so I have a large relative inclination to deal with), I'd have to do something like the following?
- Turn on Align Planes MFD and target the moon, wait near the ISS until we reach one of the nodes... let's say we reach the AN first, for the sake of my example.
- Turn prograde, and burn until my orbit around Earth is quite elliptical (so let's say I raise ApA to what, 1000km's or so?)
- Wait until Apoapsis (which should co-incide with the DN, since Periapsis co-incides with the AN).
- Turn orbit-normal and burn main engines to change my orbital plane very efficiently.
- Whilst still near Apoapsis, turn retrograde and drop my PeA slightly, so that I will just brush the upper atmosphere (perhaps PeA=75km or so will do the trick?).
- Use aerobraking to drop Apoapsis to LEO. If I can see that air friction alone won't slow me enough, use retro rockets and/or airbrake (or just go around twice if I have the time). Wait for Apoapsis, then burn prograde to lift PeA out of the atmosphere, to ensure we don't de-orbit accidentally or mess up the eject burn.
- Now set up eject plan to the moon, the burn should be maximally efficient since we're in LEO and properly aligned with the moon's orbit.
I thought of just doing the eject burn from the Periapsis of the elliptical orbit for maximum efficiency, but the timing isn't very likely to be correct, so we have to circularize first.