Jupiter Orbit

[blane]

Hi,

a Jupiter window is opening soon and I was wondering what attributes my destination orbit should have. How far away from Jupiter should be the final injection burn? How close should I roughly go for an efficient (but not suicidal!) AeroBrake Maneuvre?

Any suggestions or guidelines appreciated.

 

[astrosammy]

You should use Aerobrake MFD, change your periapsis until Aerobrake MFD shows an Ecc. lower than 1.000, but make sure that the maximum G is not red.

 

[blane]

Eccentrity lower than 1 .. who would have thought

 

[Urwumpe]

You can also do aerobraking with higher eccentricities, but remember: eccentricity means more heating.

As you want to do a capture, your eccentricity should be as close to 1 as possible during the initial capture. You could for example do, by having a tangential arrival (minimum velocity difference between you and Jupiter).

Optimizing the distance to Jupiter for optimal aerobraking should be a good task for a number cruncher... I would say, that an perizene between 4 and 8 Jupiter radii would be a good first guess.

 

[blane]

Ah Thanks! I just wanted a rough number, for an initial aim.

Wouldn't it be Perijovi? (Sorry my ignorance).

And another hypothetical question: A ship (or station for that matter) that plans to stay longer, and also rendevouz with other ships. Would it make more sense to park in in a Moon Orbit (Europa for instance) instead of Jupiter? I would imagine Plane Alignment and Rendevouz would be less delta V consuming?

 

[Urwumpe]

Wouldn't it be Perijovi? (Sorry my ignorance).

Perijove would be legal as alternative, but is rather non-standard. The planets are named by the roman gods, the apsis by their greek counterparts.

For example:

Latin: Neptune -> Greek: Poseidon

So it is Periposeidion and Apoposeidion.

The rule does not work correctly for Venus, though... the goddess Aphrodite results in pretty strange words... for prudent scientists.

Instead of periaphrodition, they use pericytherion, because Cytherea is the older name for Aphrodite, derived from one of the places claiming to be her birthplace.

And another hypothetical question: A ship (or station for that matter) that plans to stay longer, and also rendevouz with other ships. Would it make more sense to park in in a Moon Orbit (Europa for instance) instead of Jupiter? I would imagine Plane Alignment and Rendevouz would be less delta V consuming?

No, it would be the same or even higher, as you first need to rendezvous with the moon and then rendezvous with the station.

 

[blane]

Thanks for the detailed answer. Mission Control now feels more comfortable as the Jupiter window is approaching

 

[unknown_orbiter]

Question: as powerful as jupiter's gravity is, wouldn't you just need tu use the IMFD and do a retro-grade burn while within Jup's gravity to become captured?
I have never done planet-planet trips so I may just be ignorant :/

 

[Urwumpe]

Sure - but that also requires a lot of fuel, when you want to reach the inner moons.

 

[HiPotOk1978]

shameless plug

If you do run low on fuel in Jupiter space, make sure to stop by ReFuel's Ganymede base...

We have a great deal on t-shirts stating "I flew all the way out to Jupiter and all I got was this stupid t-shirt" starting at the low low price of 19.95 credits

 

[pattersoncr]

And another hypothetical question: A ship (or station for that matter) that plans to stay longer, and also rendevouz with other ships. Would it make more sense to park in in a Moon Orbit (Europa for instance) instead of Jupiter? I would imagine Plane Alignment and Rendevouz would be less delta V consuming?

It doesn't matter in orbiter but putting the station in orbit around Ganymede would make use of Ganymede's magnetic field to protect you from the worst of Jupiter's radiation nastiness.

 

[unknown_orbiter]

Next great add-on is a radiation simulator, along with a heat simulator. Get too close to the large body's poles and instrument start screwing up. Get too close to the radioactive bands around Jupiter and... well... use your imagination. Alien 5: Spawn of Jupiter?

 

[TMac3000]

Perijove would be legal as alternative, but is rather non-standard. The planets are named by the roman gods, the apsis by their greek counterparts.

For example:

Latin: Neptune -> Greek: Poseidon

So it is Periposeidion and Apoposeidion.

The rule does not work correctly for Venus, though... the goddess Aphrodite results in pretty strange words... for prudent scientists.

Instead of periaphrodition, they use pericytherion, because Cytherea is the older name for Aphrodite, derived from one of the places claiming to be her birthplace.




No, it would be the same or even higher, as you first need to rendezvous with the moon and then rendezvous with the station.

Why not just say peri-/apoapsis?

 

[Major Tom]

Thanks for the detailed answer. Mission Control now feels more comfortable as the Jupiter window is approaching

Have you chosen a launch date? And just as important, what would be the optimum date for the return flight.

 

[thomasantony]

Why not just say peri-/apoapsis?

Then you would have to specify the reference body. If I say Perigee it is sure that the object is orbiting the Earth. Periapsis can be around any body.

 

[TMac3000]

Then you would have to specify the reference body. If I say Perigee it is sure that the object is orbiting the Earth. Periapsis can be around any body.

So what's wrong with that? By the time you use the term peri-/apoapsis, you should have already mentioned the body you are talking about. "I approached Jupiter, and did my capture burn at periapsis." You would already know I was talking about Jupiter.