Australian Sky & Telescope — January 01, 2018

http://www.skyandtelescope.com.au 19

Flight Plan 2020

To minimise propellant, Mars-bound

spacecraft take the most efficient

path from Earth to Mars. Sitting

on the launch pad, the spacecraft

already orbits the Sun (with Earth).

After it launches, it boosts itself out of

an Earthlike orbit into a more elliptical

one, with an aphelion that matches up

with Mars’ orbit. The craft’s trajectory

follows the outgoing arc of this ellipse

(approximate path shown). When it

reaches Mars, the spacecraft enters

orbit or, if a lander, hits the planet ‘in a

controlled way’.

123,

km/hr

Mars 2020 spacecraft’s

speed relative to the

Sun at launch

64,

km/hr

Mars 2020 spacecraft’s

speed relative to

Mars at launch

2007 (F)

Phoenix

Mars

2011 (F)

MSL

Curiosity

2018 (ID)

Insight

2020 (ID)

Hope

2020 (ID)

China Mars

Mission

MARS

July 2020

VENUS

July 2020

VENUS

February

2021

EARTH

July 2020

EARTH
February
2021

MERCURY

July 2020

MERCURY

February

(^2021) SUN
2013 (F)
MOM Mangalyaan
2013 (F)
MAVEN
2016 (F)
Trace Gas
Orbiter
2020 (ID)
ExoMars
2020 (ID)
Mars 2020