Planning an unmanned spacecraft to the solar system’s outer fringes has always been a cumbersome job for the astronauts – be it money, time or labor. What if the scientists are given a welcome break for these extensive planning, without failing with their target date and mission?
No, it is no just providing hopes to the space explorers. But, it’s MIT’s real engineering venture — it’s an efficient and highly sophisticated mathematical algorithm! Implemented as software, the algorithm can help chalk out the most efficient path a spacecraft can make for journeying from one point to its destination!
No, nor the number of worlds or years away can effect it!
The new finding had taken the Cassini’s route into consideration — the 1997 Cassini Mission — one of the most complicated explorations ever made. While testing and validating the algorithm, Craig Kluever, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering said,
You don’t need complicated mission software for Mars missions. If you look at the trajectory, it doesn’t require a lot of twists, turns and gravity assists. It’s a straight shot. You need complicated mission software for ambitious missions to a comet, asteroid, moon of Saturn or beyond. We’re talking about missions where an unmanned spacecraft would fly by Venus to do a gravity assist and then fly by Jupiter to do a gravity assist. Before that, it may have to coast a year and half to come back to Venus for another gravity assist. These very high-energy targets require orbital tricks. Timing all of these maneuvers to find the optimal solution is complicated.
The mission software’s mathematical principles have been applauded by the European Space Agency before. Ah! NASA, please listen! The new algorithm may be of great help if you are planning human space travel in the coming years or decade, after the 2031 manned mission to Mars.
