Search the Community

Hey all, So I recently posted a thread about trans-Mars injections, and some of the responses really got me thinking. Thanks to you all, I've finally learned that transfer orbits do not have to be in the same plane as either the origin or target, so long as you can put the AN/DN at the intercept point. For some reason, this topic seems to be rarely discussed here or in almost all the articles about interplanetary spaceflight I could find. I feel like I've discovered a well kept secret that holds the key to efficient transfers. Anyway, in fiddling around with a maneuver node at the appropriate launch window, I can see how important it is to be as close to the correct ejection inclination (as shown by Precise Node) as possible. Adding a normal/antinormal component to the ejection burn can help a bit, but not by much without adding a hefty amount of dV. So, as in almost every other aspect of spaceflight, launching into the appropriate inclination is crucial. I figured out a pretty good method for placing the LAN where my ejection burn with take place, but I have no idea what inclination to go for. My relative inclination to target is 1.6 degrees, but Transfer Window Planner says I need an ejection inclination of 0.1 degrees. How can I figure out what inclination to launch into in order the get the desired ejection inclination? Am I correct that it will NOT work to simply launch into a 0.1 inclination orbit? Thanks!