A little mission to Mars, mostly to relearn TransX that i have not used in month.
Using the stock DeltaGlider "DG-S ready for takeoff" scenario as the basis for it (and so without realistic fuel, air etc...) .
Cap Canaveral, 14 March 2001 (MJD: 51982), the planning in TransX have a satisfying enough Mars arrival +/- for the 31 August 2001 (MJD: 52152).
We launch at night on the 20 March 2001, supposedly not too far from our departure from Earth orbit
We wait in Earth orbit, admiring the view, until we are ready for our burn according to TransX values.
Must certainly have made a mistake in reading the ejection date i had planned somehow (maybe did not took in account my last tweaks on the planning phase on transx), as in the end the burn time was a lot more far than it was planned originally.
Anyways, we wait for nearly a month in Orbit, and finally we burn away from Earth, on the 14 April 2001 (MJD: 52013)
11 May 2001 (MJD : 52040), time for the 1st correction, good enough for now we'll make another one way later anyways.
My original date mistake lead into a delay of the supposed arrival, as now we should enter Mars orbit +/- 19 September 2001 (MJD: 52171)
The second correction on 18 July 2001 (MJD: 52108), the 1st correction made it accurate, as our arrival near Mars will always be +/- 19 September 2001 (MJD: 52171)
16 September 2001 (MJD: 52168), fews days left before our planned arrival. we can see Mars, far away, all seems good.
Finally, the day is there, 19 September 2001 (MJD: 52171), Mars appear clearly in the HUD, apparently we used well enough TransX, i was expecting running into the sun instead
Before i forget, maybe it is time to prepare for the retrograde burn, to build the orbit.
We finally achieve a circular Orbit at 20:28, always the 19 September 2001. Unfortunately we are on the dark face, so the picture is not as good as wished
As Earth requested a nicer photo for their calendar, we waited nearly a hour, until 21:33 we could be on the light :
