Search the Optimal Rendezvous Opportunities for Manned Mars Mission

Various mission and trajectory designs have been proposed to achieve the first human mission to Mars. NASA´s current study for sending humans to Mars is known as the design reference mission (DRM). It selected the long-stay mission profile. In this paper, according to the DRM scenario, we investigated the optimal rendezvous opportunity for manned Mars trip. At here, three transfer strategies were taken into account. Firstly, we use the contour map and optimal algorithm to search the optimal opportunities with two-impulse and employed the patched-conic method to analyze and propagate trajectories. Then, gravity assist technique is used to search the low energy trajectory. Finally, we also make use of the aerogravity assist technique, which is the novel concept in the interplanetary exploration missions, to analyze and search the possible rendezvous opportunities.