Liang et al. CGE triple cycler — Member D (SPICE-ephemeris, JUP365.bsp)

liang-2024-cgcec-ephemeris-2033 · source: literature · validation: V0

Signature

Bodies: Callisto-Ganymede-Europa
Primary: Jupiter
Sequence (canonical): Callisto-Ganymede-Callisto-Europa-Callisto
Sense: n/a
Orbit class: Cycler
strict cycler (infinite returns)
Cycler class: multi-arc
Trajectory regime: ballistic
Maintenance ΔV band: Strictly ballistic · source: liang-2024
Model assumption: analytic-ephemeris
Mid-fidelity: real eccentricity / inclination retained; not full N-body.
Period: — yr ( × Callisto-Europa synodic)
Triple-cycler repeat ~100 d (cycle ToF 99.4-100.5 d, Figs. 8d-e). Departs Callisto 2033-09-25 18:04:43, returns to Callisto 2036-06-22 01:44:39 (~1000 d / 10 cycles). Per-pair ToF behaviour matches the idealized model (C-G less variable than C-E). years: null (Jovian moon tour).
Source ephemeris: JUP365.bsp
Ephemeris model the source states its numbers were computed against.
Priority date: 2024-01-01

V∞ at encounters

Callisto (encounter 1): — (not published)
Member D per-flyby V_inf published as figure traces only (no numeric per-flyby table, p. 19-20) -> data_gaps. All flybys above 100 km real altitude (p. 19).
Ganymede (encounter 2): — (not published)
Same — figures-only data completeness (epoch + sequence + kernel).
Europa (encounter 3): — (not published)
Same — figures-only.

Cycle-level identity (multi-arc invariants)

Aphelion ratio (AR): —
Turn ratio (TR): —
Transit times (days): —

SPICE JUP365.bsp moon states (non-circular, non-coplanar; ecliptic J2000 Jupiter-centered inertial); spacecraft legs Keplerian about Jupiter with impulsive flybys. No (a, e) characterises the cycle. The start epoch was found by a traversal search matching the idealized member's relative phase structure (Eq. 19, p. 12).

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no sampled trajectory is published for this row — each leg is a separate ellipse with honest gaps where elements are unpublished (the 2D view above shows them).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)

Definition status

incomplete — core fields missing or known-unknowns tracked below

Known-unknowns (2)

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

vinf_kms_at_encounters [unknown]
Member D (ephemeris model) publishes per-flyby V_inf, epochs, and altitudes as FIGURE TRACES only (Figs. 8d-e, pp. 19-20) — no numeric per-flyby table. Data completeness is departure/arrival epoch + sequence + kernel only. V0/V1 ceiling until the authors' data is obtained.

source: Liang et al. 2024 JGCD doi 10.2514/1.G008387 (authors' data); mining note §4.4.
invariants.transit_times_days [unknown]
Per-flyby/per-leg ToF for Member D are figure traces only; cycle ToF range 99.4-100.5 d is the only published numeric bound.

source: Liang et al. 2024 Figs. 8d-e (pp. 19-20).

Primary citation

Liang, G. et al. (2024). Callisto-Ganymede-Europa Triple Cyclers. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics (Engineering Note).

DOI: 10.2514/1.G008387

URL: https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/1.G008387

See Member A row for IAC-23 presentation provenance + page-draft note.

Notes

Member D: ballistic CGCEC triple cycler in the SPICE-ephemeris (JUP365.bsp) patched-conic model — the headline qualitative result that the near-resonance construction survives a real ephemeris (the gravity assist adjusts semi-major axis, not argument-of-periapsis precession, so it tolerates the ephemeris model's irregular precession, unlike the Laplace-resonant designs; Sec. III.4, pp. 18-19). Max required Delta-v for one cycle 1.0383e-7 m/s (negligible -> ballistic); all flybys above 100 km real altitude (p. 19). NOT golden-grade: per-flyby V_inf / epochs / altitudes are figure traces only (no numeric per-flyby table). Data completeness is departure/arrival epoch + sequence + kernel — V0/V1 ceiling until the authors' data is obtained (mining note §4.4). Topology/leg class outside our swept genome (mining note §6).

Source quotes (per-field provenance)

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

period.note: Liang et al. 2024 (pp. 19-20): departs Callisto 25 September 2033 18:04:43, returns to Callisto 22 June 2036 01:44:39 (~1000 d); cycle ToF 99.4-100.5 d; max required Delta-v per cycle 1.0383e-7 m/s (negligible).
source_ephemeris: Liang et al. 2024 Sec. II.C (p. 4): moon states from SPICE kernel JUP365.bsp, ecliptic J2000.0 Jupiter-centered inertial.
notes: Liang et al. 2024 pp. 18-20: the ephemeris-model member demonstrates the near-resonance construction survives a real ephemeris; per-flyby data exists only as figure traces; all flybys above 100 km real altitude.