Jones 2017 MEEVEM VEM triple cycler (inbound, AAS 17-577 Table 3)

jones-2017-vem-meevem-inbound · source: literature · validation: V0

Supersedes: EMEEVE VEM Triple Cycler (3-synodic beat archetype — UNREALIZED in AAS 17-577)

Signature

Bodies: M-E-V
Primary: Sun (default — heliocentric)
Sequence (canonical): M-E-E-V-E-M
Sense: inbound
Orbit class: Cycler
strict cycler (infinite returns)
Cycler class: multi-arc
Trajectory regime: ballistic
Maintenance ΔV band: unclassified
Model assumption: analytic-ephemeris
Mid-fidelity: real eccentricity / inclination retained; not full N-body.
Period: 12.800 yr (2 × VEM-syn synodic)
Repeat period T = 12.8 yr = 2 × T_syn (6.4-yr VEM synodic, p.3). SOURCED: AAS 17-577 p.9: "Recall that the repeat period T is 12.8 years." Table 3 lists two repeat periods (11 encounters Jun-2022 to Jan-2048).
Priority date: 2017-08-20

V∞ at encounters

M (encounter 1): 3.85 km/s
SOURCED: Table 3 row 1 (Mars 24-Jun-2022): 3.85 km/s. Near-Hohmann inbound start (M→E).
E (encounter 2): 3.48 km/s
SOURCED: Table 3 row 2 (Earth 19-Mar-2023): 3.48 km/s. M→E transit leg (268 d).
E (encounter 3): 3.42 km/s
SOURCED: Table 3 row 3 (Earth 28-Aug-2024): 3.42 km/s.
V (encounter 4): 5.16 km/s
SOURCED: Table 3 row 4 (Venus 13-Mar-2028): 5.16 km/s.
E (encounter 5): 3.84 km/s
SOURCED: Table 3 row 5 (Earth 02-Oct-2032): 3.84 km/s.
M (encounter 6): 3.12 km/s
SOURCED: Table 3 row 6 (Mars 08-Apr-2035): 3.12 km/s.
E (encounter 7): 2.98 km/s
SOURCED: Table 3 row 7 (Earth 17-Nov-2035): 2.98 km/s. E→M transit leg (223 d).
E (encounter 8): 2.92 km/s
SOURCED: Table 3 row 8 (Earth 23-Apr-2039): 2.92 km/s.
V (encounter 9): 4.31 km/s
SOURCED: Table 3 row 9 (Venus 23-Oct-2039): 4.31 km/s.
E (encounter 10): 4.97 km/s
SOURCED: Table 3 row 10 (Earth 11-Aug-2045): 4.97 km/s.
M (encounter 11): 2.42 km/s
SOURCED: Table 3 row 11 (Mars 21-Jan-2048): 2.42 km/s.

Cycle-level identity (multi-arc invariants)

Aphelion ratio (AR): —
Turn ratio (TR): —
Transit times (days): 268 d, 223 d

Multi-arc patched-conic on real ephemeris. AAS 17-577 tabulates only encounter dates, v∞, periapsis altitudes, and transit ToF; NO orbital elements are published (mining note §8). Do NOT derive (circular).

Orbit view 2.5D ecliptic projection

spacecraft: analytic-ephemeris (real e/i retained) planets: J2000 osculating ellipse (Standish & Williams Table 1) orientation: coplanar-idealized (no Ω/ω published — in-plane ellipse)

3D view not available for multi-arc trajectories yet. The 3D system can now render a numerically-sampled polyline (n-body or multi-arc), but no sampled trajectory is published for this row — each leg is a separate ellipse with honest gaps where elements are unpublished (the 2D view above shows them). The button will appear here once a sampled path is exported for this trajectory; we never interpolate one from the catalogue's per-leg (a, e).

— — planet orbit (true J2000 ellipse)

Not-published gaps (never interpolated):

M → E — segment elements (a, e) not published; no curve drawn.
E → E — segment elements (a, e) not published; no curve drawn.
E → V — segment elements (a, e) not published; no curve drawn.
V → E — segment elements (a, e) not published; no curve drawn.
E → M — segment elements (a, e) not published; no curve drawn.
M → E — segment elements (a, e) not published; no curve drawn.
E → E — segment elements (a, e) not published; no curve drawn.
E → V — segment elements (a, e) not published; no curve drawn.
V → E — segment elements (a, e) not published; no curve drawn.
E → M — segment elements (a, e) not published; no curve drawn.

Legs (trajectory segments)

M → E: 268 d, 0 revs
Mars to first Earth flyby. Near-Hohmann M→E transit leg; ToF 268 d (Table 3 + p.9).
E → E: 528 d, 0 revs
Earth to Earth arc. ToF 528 d (Table 3).
E → V: 1293 d, 0 revs
Earth to Venus flyby. ToF 1293 d (Table 3).
V → E: 1664 d, 0 revs
Venus to Earth flyby. ToF 1664 d (Table 3).
E → M: 918 d, 0 revs
Earth to Mars flyby. ToF 918 d (Table 3).
M → E: 223 d, 0 revs
Mars to Earth flyby. ToF 223 d (Table 3); the p.9 transit-leg pair for this inbound example is '268 and 223 days'.
E → E: 1253 d, 0 revs
Earth to Earth arc. ToF 1253 d (Table 3).
E → V: 183 d, 0 revs
Earth to Venus flyby. ToF 183 d (Table 3).
V → E: 2119 d, 0 revs
Venus to Earth flyby. ToF 2119 d (Table 3).
E → M: 893 d, 0 revs
Earth to final Mars flyby (end of two repeat periods). ToF 893 d (Table 3).

Definition status

incomplete — core fields missing or known-unknowns tracked below

Family: Jones/Hernandez/Jesick VEM triple cyclers · MEEVEM inbound itinerary (AAS 17-577 Table 1)

Known-unknowns (3)

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

orbit_elements [unknown]
AAS 17-577 publishes NO orbital elements for any cycler (mining note §8). Solutions are encounter dates + v∞ + periapsis altitudes + transit ToF only. Cannot be source-derived without re-running Lambert (circular).

source: Jones, Hernandez, Jesick 2017 (AAS 17-577) Table 3 + note §8
delta_v_kms [unknown]
Per-row Δv not given for the Table 3 broad-search cycler. The paper's Δv numbers appear only for the Table 4 optimized architecture, a different set of trajectories (mining note §8).

source: Jones, Hernandez, Jesick 2017 (AAS 17-577) Table 3 vs Table 4
flyby_mechanics[*].turning_angle_deg [unknown]
Per-flyby turning angles δ and B-plane angles θ_B not tabulated for this cycler (mining note §8). Only periapsis altitudes are listed (captured in min_altitude_km).

source: Jones, Hernandez, Jesick 2017 (AAS 17-577) Table 3

Primary citation

Jones, D. R. et al. (2017). Low Excess Speed Triple Cyclers of Venus, Earth, and Mars. AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Stevenson WA, AAS Paper 17-577.

URL: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20190028464

AAS 17-577 Table 3 (p.10): 'Flyby summary for MEEVEM family cycler over two repeat periods'. NTRS accession 20190028464. No DOI (AAS conference paper).

Notes

Fully-tabulated MEEVEM inbound member of the jones-2017-vem-triple-family, transcribed verbatim from AAS 17-577 Table 3 (p.10) over two repeat periods (11 encounters, body sequence M-E-E-V-E-M-E-E-V-E-M = two MEEVEM cycles). Repeat period T = 12.8 yr (p.9). Transit legs M→E 268 d, E→M 223 d (p.9). Per-encounter v∞ (km/s): M 3.85 / E 3.48 / E 3.42 / V 5.16 / E 3.84 / M 3.12 / E 2.98 / E 2.92 / V 4.31 / E 4.97 / M 2.42. Periapsis altitudes (km): 100 / 7,831 / 967 / 29,777 / 2,545 / 249 / 3,719 / 2,224 / 12,349 / 7,484 / 100. No orbital elements or per-row Δv are published in the paper (note §8).

Source quotes (per-field provenance)

Every numerical value in this entry traces to a verbatim or paraphrased quote from a cited source.

period.years: AAS 17-577 p.9: "Recall that the repeat period T is 12.8 years."
invariants.transit_times_days: AAS 17-577 p.9 (inbound example): transit legs are "268 and 223 days" (M→E 268, E→M 223). Matches Table 3 Flight-Time rows 19-Mar-2023 (268) and 17-Nov-2035 (223).
vinf_kms_at_encounters: AAS 17-577 Table 3 (p.10), "Excess speed, km/sec" column, in encounter order: 3.85, 3.48, 3.42, 5.16, 3.84, 3.12, 2.98, 2.92, 4.31, 4.97, 2.42.
flyby_mechanics: AAS 17-577 Table 3 (p.10), "Periapsis altitude, km" column: 100; 7,831; 967; 29,777; 2,545; 249; 3,719; 2,224; 12,349; 7,484; 100.