Announcements

Spanning the Earth/Mars Chasm with Interplanetary Synodic-Resonant Waypoints

An AIAA Professional Development Lecture Series Presentation, via Zoom

presented by

Daniel R. Adamo

Astrodynamics Consultant 

Wednesday, November 13th, 12:00-1:30 PM PST

Since Dr. Wernher von Braun first addressed the problem of flying humans to Mars in 1948, achieving that "horizon goal" on the human spaceflight roadmap has elusively remained about 20 years in the future. Since at least the stagecoach and Pony Express era, human transport technology has solved difficult problems by breaking the route into staged segments. Even the problem of sending humans into low Earth orbit (LEO) still requires rockets with multiple stages, while plans for LEO and cislunar propellant depots abound. Why then do roadmaps insist on nonstop Earth/Mars transits? This 1.5 hour presentation will introduce the novel concept of waypoints stationed in orbits coplanar/concentric with Earth's and 19.5% farther from the sun to naturally maintain a synodic period of 4.27 years, exactly twice that of Mars with Earth. By planning a brief stop at a waypoint during an Earth/Mars transit, more cargo mass can be delivered to more destinations than with a contemporaneous nonstop itinerary. Four synodic-resonant waypoints cover all Earth/Mars transit opportunities, serve as Earth/Mars communication relays, and offer useful forward/turnaround abort options not available to nonstop transits. 

Daniel Adamo is an astrodynamics consultant focused on space mission trajectory design, operations, and architecture. He works with clients primarily at NASA and in academia. Until retirement in 2008, Mr. Adamo was employed by United Space Alliance as a trajectory expert, serving as a “front room” flight controller for 60 Space Shuttle missions. Along with console duties during simulations and missions, this job entailed development of trajectory designs, software tools, flight rules, console procedures, and operations concepts. Mr. Adamo began his career at the Perkin-Elmer Corporation where he developed and operated proof-of-concept software for computer-controlled polishing of optical elements. He has degrees in Physical Sciences and Optical Engineering from the University of Houston and the University of Rochester, respectively.  Mr. Adamo is an AIAA Associate Fellow and the author of many publications (ref. http://www.aiaahouston.org/adamo_astrodynamics/). He has received numerous awards, including 14 NASA Group Achievement Awards. 

The presentation will be on Wednesday, November 13th, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM PST via Zoom. The Zoom link for the meeting is below.