McConaghy/Landau/Yam/Longuski two-synodic-period Earth-Mars cycler

mcconaghy-2006-em-k2 · source: literature · validation: V0

Signature

Bodies: E-M
Sequence (canonical): E-E-M-M
Sense: outbound
Period: 4.270 yr (2 × E-M synodic)
Two Earth-Mars synodic periods = 2 x 2.135 yr = 4.27 yr.
Priority date: 2003-08-01

V∞ at encounters

E (#1): 4.70 km/s
From the McConaghy 2006 abstract: 'arrival V-infinity magnitudes of 4.7 km/s at Earth and 5.0 km/s at Mars' (circular-coplanar model).
M (#2): 5.00 km/s
From the McConaghy 2006 abstract.

Orbit elements (heliocentric)

Semi-major axis a: — AU
Eccentricity e: —
Perihelion: — AU
Aphelion: — AU
Inclination: 0.00°

Specific (a, e, peri, apo) for the published cycler are in the body of the McConaghy 2006 paper (DOI 10.2514/1.15215), which is paywalled (AIAA 403). The abstract gives V_inf and ToF but not orbital elements. TBD: obtain elements from full paper or from McConaghy's preceding AIAA 2003-509 / AAS 03-509 paper.

Legs

E → M: 153 d, 0 revs
Earth->Mars transfer time per McConaghy 2006 abstract: '153-day transfer times between Earth and Mars'. Note Rogers et al. 2012 reports 154-day for the S1L1 variant in the establishment-cycler context; the 153-day value is the cycler's nominal.
M → E: 153 d, 0 revs
Symmetric return leg, same ToF. Per the abstract this cycler is symmetric.

Primary citation

McConaghy, T. T. et al. (2006). Notable Two-Synodic-Period Earth-Mars Cycler. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 456-465.

DOI: 10.2514/1.15215

URL: https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/1.15215

Corroborating sources

McConaghy, T. T. et al. (2003). Two-Synodic-Period Earth-Mars Cyclers with Intermediate Earth Encounter. AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, AAS Paper 03-509.
Conference precursor to the 2006 JSR paper. Russell 2004 dissertation cites this as ref [15].

Notes

Spec.md §9 anchors the M5 milestone to "5.65 km/s (E), 3.05 km/s (M)" for the published 2-synodic E-M cycler. Those numbers do NOT match the McConaghy 2006 abstract's "4.7 km/s at Earth and 5.0 km/s at Mars". Resolution: the 5.65 / 3.05 pair corresponds to a DIFFERENT 2-synodic cycler — specifically the S1L1 cycler popularised by Aldrin Enterprises' CPOM (Cycling Pathways to Occupy Mars) studies; see the next entry `s1l1-2syn-em-cpom`. Both are 2-synodic, both have one intermediate Earth encounter, but they are different family members. M5 should test against the S1L1 numbers per the spec. Russell 2004 dissertation Table 4.9 lists four ballistic 2-synodic cyclers; the McConaghy 2006 'notable' one is the first entry there (V_inf,E=4.99, V_inf,M=5.10, t_out=t_in=150d, aphelion 1.64 AU, generic return Ll patched with generic return U). Note Russell's V_inf values are very close to McConaghy's 4.7/5.0 — small differences arise from Russell's binning to 0.01 km/s and McConaghy's rounding to 0.1.

Source quotes (per-field provenance)

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

vinf_kms_at_encounters[0].vinf_kms: McConaghy et al. 2006 abstract (quoted via search.arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/1.15215 and corroborated by McConaghy 2006 Request PDF on ResearchGate): "In a circular-coplanar model it requires no propulsive maneuvers, has 153-day transfer times between Earth and Mars, and has arrival V-infinity magnitudes of 4.7 km/s at Earth and 5.0 km/s at Mars."
vinf_kms_at_encounters[1].vinf_kms: McConaghy et al. 2006 abstract: "...4.7 km/s at Earth and 5.0 km/s at Mars."
legs[0].tof_days: McConaghy et al. 2006 abstract: "153-day transfer times between Earth and Mars".
legs[1].tof_days: McConaghy et al. 2006 abstract: same 153-day value implied by symmetry ('transfer times between Earth and Mars' — plural, both directions).
period.years: Period = 2 x synodic = 2 x 2.135 = 4.27 yr; derived value not quoted as such in McConaghy 2006 (the abstract says "every two synodic periods").