NASA has patented a new route to the Moon that would use less fuel, take less time, and give the space agency greater operational flexibility.
As Business Insider puts it:
“The moon is both seductively close to Earth and cosmically far away: Decades after the end of the space race, it remains extraordinarily expensive and difficult to actually get there.
The journey just got a bit easier, however, thanks to a freshly published NASA invention. The agency’s patent doesn’t cover a new piece of equipment or lines of code, but a trajectory — a route designed to save a lunar-bound mission time, fuel, and money and boost its scientific value.”
The article adds that:
“After crunching the numbers, the team found a new low-energy trajectory to the moon, which their patent describes as a ‘method for transferring a spacecraft from geosynchronous transfer orbit to lunar orbit.’ It enlists the help of Earth and the moon’s gravity to speed up and slow down Dapper at the right moments, cutting down on the amount of propellant required. NASA says this new spin on the gravity assist keeps the flight time to about 2 1/2 months, whereas similar options can take six months.
The trajectory also comes with numerous options to slip a spacecraft into an orbit of any angle around the moon, at practically any time. And it avoids a zone of radiation around Earth called the Van Allen belts, which can damage sensitive electronics.”
It all sounds great to me. I just had no idea that a route could be patented. If that’s the case I’ve got quite a few road trip itineraries that I need to file with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ASAP!
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