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Computed Earth-Venus ballistic cycler ev-C hosted by Venus (k = 2; Russell-Strange one-working-node architecture at Earth-Venus)

earth-venus-venus-hosted-cycler-evc-2026 · source: this-project · validation: V1 · candidate

Signature

Bodies

E-V

Primary

Sun

Sequence (canonical)

V-V-E

Sense

n/a

Orbit class

Cycler

strict cycler (infinite returns)

Cycler class

multi-arc

Trajectory regime

ballistic

Maintenance ΔV band

unclassified

Model assumption

circular-coplanar

Idealised: planets on circles, coplanar ecliptic.

Period

3.198 yr (2 × E-V synodic)

DERIVED (this project): 2 Earth-Venus synodic periods = 1167.889 d in the ideal model (Venus period 0.61520 yr, Earth 1 yr).

Source ephemeris

ideal circular-coplanar model; real-ephemeris patched-conic rung on Standish J2000 mean elements and DE440

Ephemeris model the source states its numbers were computed against.

Priority date

2026-10-06

V∞ at encounters

E (encounter 1)

9.07 km/s

DERIVED (this project, ideal-model zero; data/942_cell_ev_gauntlet.json). Earth turn 0 in the ideal model (passive target; 0.06-0.11 of capacity on the real elements).

V (encounter 2)

13.17 km/s

DERIVED (this project). Venus turn 2 x 19.65 deg, ratio 0.746 of the 300-km-floor capacity, required altitude 3,055 km.

Cycle-level identity (multi-arc invariants)

Aphelion ratio (AR)

—

Turn ratio (TR)

—

Transit times (days)

122.829 d, 823.951 d, 221.109 d

Multi-arc. Distance from the Sun 0.509-1.651 AU.

Definition status

incomplete — core fields missing or known-unknowns tracked below

Known-unknowns (1)

Values we expect to exist but have not yet filled (distinct from "not applicable"). Tracked per upstream docs/spec.md §16.6.4.

• validation_level [uncertain]
  V2 judged 2026-10-11 (final wording): 1 of 5 Standish epochs at 10 cycles; the 10-cycle chains drift at 4 epochs (same-phase dates 15-66 d against about 5.8 d). Not earned; cause not diagnosed.
  source: spec §14 V2

Primary citation

No primary citation recorded; see the provenance tags below.

orbit fidelity circular-coplanar V∞ fidelity circular-coplanar

Corroborating sources

• Russell, R. P. & Strange, N. J. (2009). Cycler Trajectories in Planetary Moon Systems. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics 32(1):143-157. DOI: 10.2514/1.36610
  ARCHITECTURE source (ii): the one-working-node free-return cycler (one flyby body hosts every return; the target is massless). Treated sets (R-S 2009 Table 1 and AAS 07-118): Ganymede-Io, Ganymede-Europa, Europa-Ganymede, Ganymede-Callisto, Titan-Enceladus, Venus-Mars, Venus-Mercury, and Earth-Mars (calibration, no rows). No Earth-Venus set: the R-S 2009 p.5 claim that one is recorded in AAS 07-118 is not borne out (2007 digest).
• Russell, R. P. & Strange, N. J. (2007). Planetary Moon Cycler Trajectories. AAS 07-118, AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, Sedona AZ.
  The heliocentric one-working-node sets (VenMar#45; Venus-Mercury).
• Hollister, W. M. & Menning, M. D. (1970). Periodic Swing-By Orbits between Earth and Venus. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets 7(10):1193-1199. DOI: 10.2514/3.30134
  Earth-Venus PRIOR ART with a different architecture (both planets bend, FR/SY returns only); the anchor the literature gate names for ev-C (F7).

Notes

First computed at Earth-Venus, applying Russell & Strange's one-working-node free-return architecture unchanged (ii). - System: the Sun with Earth and Venus. Flyby body: Venus, which hosts the only return (a 1-rev high Venus-Venus leg of 823.95 d). Passive target: Earth (turn 0 in the ideal model). - Sets R-S treated (R-S 2009 Table 1; AAS 07-118): Ganymede-Io, Ganymede-Europa, Europa-Ganymede, Ganymede-Callisto, Titan-Enceladus, Venus-Mars, Venus-Mercury, and Earth-Mars (calibration, no rows). Not Earth-Venus. - What changed physically: Venus hosts at V_inf 13.17 km/s with a 19.65-deg demanded turn (ratio 0.746 at the 300-km floor). The target is a massive planet whose own turn stays at 0.06-0.11 of capacity on the real elements. - k = 2 (1167.889 d): E->V 122.83 d, V-V 823.95 d, V->E 221.11 d. Ideal-model Lambert-leg starts 70.459681, 193.288309, 1017.239797 d. Real-ephemeris standing (patched conic, 5 cycles = 16 yr): - Ballistic and gate-passing at 5/5 epochs 2030-2056 on Standish J2000 mean elements (worst 0.869-0.914; re-fly <= 0.093 km) and on DE440 (same ratios; re-fly <= 0.116 km), after the GM fix (results note 6.14, 6.23). - The Lambert-only real-ephemeris path is validated by VenMar#45 (R-S Fig. 9(a), C1). - screen (data/973_screen_942_ev.json): passes r_min > solar radius, and no interior pass inside a planet's SOI. V2-ballistic (final wording of 2026-10-11; docs/notes/2026-10-08-1007-v2-ballistic- chain-campaign.md sec. 8.14): NOT earned, 1 of 5 Standish epochs at 10 cycles (32 yr). - At 4 epochs the ramp-continued 10-cycle chain drifts: same-phase dates 15-66 d against a band of about 5.8 d; slopes up to +11.7 d per cycle. - The 5-cycle rung (d) chains above pass the gate. - Diagnosed (sec. 8.16): not another branch. A direct solve seeded from the 5-cycle chain repeated one 16-yr period later returns to the same 10-cycle solution; the open chain's solution depends on its length, and the drift belongs to that 10-cycle ballistic solution. The row stays V1. Literature: - Scripted gate (literature_check v2,; data/942_943_litcheck_scope.json): INCONCLUSIVE. Named anchor: "Hollister / Hollister-Menning Earth-Venus periodic swing-by orbits (1969-1970)". Rule F7, lead ruling (b): working-bodies is among the exclusion reasons at the same body set, so a different-architecture object at a system the source treated goes to a human. - Resolving notes: docs/notes/2026-10-06-942-evC-prior-art-search.md; results note 6.41 (D. Ross 2L4: powered, never reaches Earth; the nearest unrefereed class relative), 6.52 (Minovitch 1963) and 6.53 (Hollister 1963). No collision. - Owner decision 2026-10-08: the gate's inconclusive is decided by the 2026-10-07 ruling, candidate-novel under (ii), attributed to Russell & Strange. - Wording: "first computed at Earth-Venus", never "new architecture".