General Question Nice MJD for a Mars flight?

[VincentMcConnell]

If I have a spacecraft ready for launch and I want to go to Mars, what would you recommend is a nice MJD date setting for the proper launch window.

And bonus help would be if you could give a nice IMFD configuration once I get to orbit for the transfer. Thank you for any help in advance.

 

[Ripley]

Google cosmic train schedule and you can find launch windows to anywhere.

 

[Screamer7]

Google cosmic train schedule and you can find launch windows to anywhere.

:rofl::thumbup:
Try this one.....
2455891.918067
Or this one.....
2452800.917361

@Vincent,
For my trouble, can you guess what events occur on these dates?

---------- Post added 09-09-12 at 12:27 AM ---------- Previous post was 09-08-12 at 11:52 PM ----------

Here is a typical IMFD setup for Mars.

BEGIN_DESC
Contains the latest simulation state.
END_DESC

BEGIN_ENVIRONMENT
System Sol
Date MJD 55891.4189999725
END_ENVIRONMENT

BEGIN_FOCUS
Ship GL-01
END_FOCUS

BEGIN_CAMERA
TARGET GL-01
MODE Cockpit
FOV 60.00
END_CAMERA

BEGIN_MFD Left
TYPE User
MODE Interplanetary
Scenario Old2
MapMFD V5
Reference Auto
Target none
Center GravityRef
Data 0 1 1e-006 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
MassLimit 1e+020
CMode 0
Config 1 1 1 1 0 0
ExtMode 0
Periapis none
END
CorMFD V4
Reference Sun
Target Mars
Source Earth
ActiveProg 1 1
DataA 0 3 0 0 0 0
DataB 1 1 55891.418999009 0 0 4.297956838604502 0 56165.36708344909 0
DVProg 0 0 0 1
AdvConf 0 0 1 0 0
Guidance 0
END
EjectMFD V5
Reference Auto
Data 0 1 3 0 1 51981.60116496984 10
Guidance 0
END
BaseAprMFD V2
Reference Auto
Target none
Source none
DataA 0 0 120000 0.10821 0.366519 1 1 51981.60116496984 51981.60116496984 0
DataB 0 3 0 1 0 1
END
SlingMFD V4
Reference Auto
Source none
Data 0 1 1 3 0 1 51981.60116496984 0
END
LaunchMFD V4
Target None
Data 0 1 1 3 0 1 0
END
CF1_DataA 0 0
CF1_DataB 0 10 120000 2 20 150000
CF1_SecTgt
mfdShare 1
mfdProgram 2
END_MFD

BEGIN_MFD Right
TYPE User
MODE Interplanetary
Scenario Old2
MapMFD V5
Reference Sun
Target mars
Center GL-01
Data 0 1 3.426497461565519e-010 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0
MassLimit 1e+020
CMode 0
Config 1 1 1 1 0 0
ExtMode 0
Periapis Earth
END
CorMFD V4
Reference Sun
Target Mars
Source Earth
ActiveProg 1 1
DataA 0 3 0 0 0 0
DataB 1 1 55891.4189996088 0 0 4.297961385266515 0 56165.36757370745 0
DVProg 0 0 0 1
AdvConf 0 0 1 0 0
Guidance 0
END
EjectMFD V5
Reference Auto
Data 0 1 3 0 1 51981.60101669638 10
Guidance 0
END
BaseAprMFD V2
Reference Auto
Target none
Source none
DataA 0 0 120000 0.10821 0.366519 1 1 51981.60101669638 51981.60101669638 0
DataB 0 3 0 1 0 1
END
SlingMFD V4
Reference Auto
Source none
Data 0 1 1 3 0 1 51981.60101669638 0
END
LaunchMFD V4
Target None
Data 0 1 1 3 0 1 55891.4189996088
END
CF1_DataA 0 0
CF1_DataB 0 10 120000 2 20 150000
CF1_SecTgt
mfdShare 0
mfdProgram 7
END_MFD

BEGIN_PANEL
END_PANEL

BEGIN_SHIPS
ISSrojectAlpha_ISS
STATUS Orbiting Earth
RPOS 4023491.34 -5349579.38 730221.79
RVEL -6002.561 -4202.413 2349.146
AROT 30.00 0.00 50.00
AFCMODE 7
IDS 0:588 10 1:586 10 2:584 10 3:582 10 4:580 10
NAVFREQ 0 0
XPDR 466
END
Mir:Mir
STATUS Orbiting Earth
RPOS -5317302.17 246253.90 4026215.84
RVEL -4671.791 -375.677 -6142.265
AROT 0.00 -45.00 90.00
AFCMODE 7
IDS 0:540 100 1:542 100 2:544 100
NAVFREQ 0 0
XPDR 482
END
Luna-OB1:Wheel
STATUS Orbiting Moon
RPOS 2094895.00 -787377.28 -3.25
RVEL 520.738 1385.481 0.011
AROT 0.00 0.00 -99.89
VROT 0.00 0.00 10.00
AFCMODE 7
IDS 0:560 10 1:564 10
XPDR 494
END
GL-01eltaGlider
STATUS Landed Earth
POS -80.6827788 28.5926557
HEADING 150.00
AFCMODE 7
PRPLEVEL 0:1.000000 1:1.000000
NAVFREQ 402 94 0 0
XPDR 0
GEAR 1 1.0000
AAP 0:0 0:0 0:0
END
END_SHIPS

 

[Rtyh-12]

Google cosmic train schedule and you can find launch windows to anywhere.

:rofl::thumbup:

Ripley was being serious, you know: Cosmic Train Schedule

 

[insanity]

The schedules were made from an amazing Hohmann transfer worksheet:
http://www.clowder.net/hop/railroad/Hohmann.xls

 

[Screamer7]

Ripley was being serious, you know: Cosmic Train Schedule

I thought Ripley was joking.
Sorry about that.
My bad.:facepalm:

 

[fausto]

I thought Ripley was joking.
Sorry about that.
My bad.:facepalm:

:rofl:

 

[VincentMcConnell]

These posts are awesome. Thanks, everyone. I'm going to Mars right now.

 

[Ripley]

I thought Ripley was joking.
Sorry about that.
My bad.:facepalm:

No need to facepalm! :thumbup:
I was writing from a lousy Android mobile, that's why I didn't/couldn't add a proper link.

Glad to help anyway

 

[tblaxland]

Cosmic Train Schedule assumes the source and destination are in coplanar orbits. For other orbits (including Mars, which is inclined about 1.8°), you could use a pork chop plotter:

[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=4439"]Trajectory Planner[/ame]
[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=5418"]Trajectory Optimization Tool v2.1[/ame]

 

[HopDavid]

Cosmic Train Schedule assumes the source and destination are in coplanar orbits. For other orbits (including Mars, which is inclined about 1.8°), you could use a pork chop plotter:

Trajectory Planner
Trajectory Optimization Tool v2.1

I believe both these tools solve Lambert's problem to get the delta Vs.

A Hohmann orbit traverses 180 degrees between departure and destination. Unless departure happens to be on an ascending or descending node, the Lambert triangle would have to be at right angles to the departure orbit and nearly 90 degrees to most destination orbits. This happens even if the destination orbit is only slightly inclined.

The advantage of a Hohmann orbit is that departure and arrival velocity vectors are parallel to the vectors of departure and destination planets. Only speed change is needed, not direction change. Needless to say, if the transfer orbit is at right angles to departure and destination orbits, this advantage is destroyed.

A midcourse plane change burn helps a lot. It can take the diagonal out of the pork chop plot.

I put together a video to illustrate this: