Aerocapture of Saturn using Titan

[Cairan]

Has anyone found a good way to use IMFD to efficiently use Titan as an aerocapture helper for Saturn?

I usually approach Saturn with my perigee on the Sun's side, and fiddle with IMFD Map's function to get my arrival time to coincide with Titan being around for me to use it for aerocapture.

Here's a cool video about it:
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/aerocapture/2377552125

And some interesting info from NASA:
http://www.inspacepropulsion.com/aerocapture.html

 

[eveningsky339]

I've given it a try before, but adjusting your trajectory to pass through the atmosphere of a moon orbiting a gas giant would require quite a delta-v budget unless you really think ahead.

I'm still waiting for someone to successfully aerobrake on Io. :lol:

 

[Piper]

Actually this isn't that difficult. All you need to do is use Aerobrake MFD to plan Titan for Aerobraking, and make sure you final eccentricity after aerobraking is just above 1. This should put you into orbit around saturn with a semi-major axis similar to Titan's. Depending on where in Titan's orbit you make the aerobrake, will give you different properties of your final orbit around Saturn.

 

[eveningsky339]

Actually this isn't that difficult. All you need to do is use Aerobrake MFD to plan Titan for Aerobraking, and make sure you final eccentricity after aerobraking is just above 1. This should put you into orbit around saturn with a semi-major axis similar to Titan's. Depending on where in Titan's orbit you make the aerobrake, will give you different properties of your final orbit around Saturn.

For me the problems come when I am planning my planet approach in IMFD. I set Titan as my target, but obviously it revolves around Saturn, so the delta-v required to adjust my path constantly increases as Titan moves.

 

[Piper]

Have you tried using TransX?

 

[eveningsky339]

Have you tried using TransX?

Yes but I haven't used it in a while. Does it take into account where Titan will be upon arrival as opposed to "real time"? (ie where Titan is right now)

 

[Piper]

Yes but I haven't used it in a while. Does it take into account where Titan will be upon arrival as opposed to "real time"? (ie where Titan is right now)

Yes it does. However, the farther out you are, the less accurate it is, although I find with the gas giants it does a better job, and is more accurate. It is least accurate with Earth, and other bodies with relatively large moons/companions (like Pluto, 90 Antiope, etc.). With Saturn and Titan, you should be more then fine, just make sure you do a few correction burns along the way.

 

[eveningsky339]

Yes it does. However, the farther out you are, the less accurate it is, although I find with the gas giants it does a better job, and is more accurate. It is least accurate with Earth, and other bodies with relatively large moons/companions (like Pluto, 90 Antiope, etc.). With Saturn and Titan, you should be more then fine, just make sure you do a few correction burns along the way.

Thanks for the help.