IMFD Brighton Beach to ISS

[Belrain]

Hio,

as the title says I´m trying to go from the Moon (BB) to the ISS or any object in LEO. Preferably with IMFD as I don´t like the Trans-X fiddling that much...

Here´s my general approach on how to get there within a reasonable low inclination.

IMFD - Planet Approach
Target: ISS/MIR/Whatever
Source:Moon
Ref: Earth

Waiting for EIn = 0
Adjusting EqI to get RIn close to 0

Target PeA and some TEj (5-7k)

Taking Off with Surface Launch (Course)
Orbit-Eject (Course) with lowest dV
(MFDs are shared)

So far so good...

After leaving the moon, the RIn starts rising to about 10°. Adjusting the EIn is not really helping. It seems I never get it back close to 0°. Am I missing something or is this the best result to get with that approach?
When is the best time for the midcourse correction?

For an Approach using IMFDs Offplane Target Intercept a few couple degrees doesnt matter that much, right?

 

[dgatsoulis]

There are are a couple of ways to perform this kind of flight. The cheapest one in ΔV is an aerocapture maneuver that will lower your apoapsis and take care of the R.Inc. at the same time. Provided of course that your spacecraft can handle atmospheric reentry. If you are using a "space only" vessel, then the cheapest way is to arrive at periapsis exactly coplanar to your target.
Things get interesting with non-spherical gravity switched on, as the spacecrafts will be subject to nodal regression, something that you will have to take into account during your flight. (IMFD's Course\Planet Approach program takes it into account but is not very accurate when you are still far away from your target).

Am I missing something or is this the best result to get with that approach?

That sounds about right. For better results you will need to use IMFD's Delta-Velocity and Map programs.

When is the best time for the midcourse correction?

Preferably at a node. That's where the plane of your trajectory and the plane of your target's orbit intersect.

For an Approach using IMFDs Offplane Target Intercept a few couple degrees doesnt matter that much, right?

The delta-v for an off-plane intercept is given by:
[math]\Delta V=\sqrt{Vi^2+Vf^2-2Vi Vf cos \theta}[/math] where Vi = initial velocity, Vf = final velocity and θ = Rel.Incl.
So you are right, a couple of degrees don't matter that much. A typical return to Earth from the Moon, has a periapsis velocity of ~10.8 km/s and the ISS has ~7.7 km/s orbital velocity.
The ΔV with 0° R.Inc. is 3.1 km/s while with 2° R.Inc it's just 16 m/s more. 5° R.Inc costs ~ 100 m/s more.
This of course presupposes that your periapsis and the node overlap -this is very important- and preferably ISS will be there when you complete the burn (not as important, you can "play catch-up" if it isn't).

If you want a more in-depth example, please post two scenarios; one just before take-off and one just after the TEI burn. (With the IMFD plan open on one MFD of course). Clarify if you are flying with non-spherical gravity switched on or off and also, complete the flight and make a note of how much ΔV you used in each step.

The reason I ask for those, is that it's always better to use one of your own scenarios as an example and also have a base (ΔV) for comparison in efficiency.

Welcome to the forums.