Scientist May Have Found a Shortcut to Mars
Newser • • science
Key Points:
- NASA currently estimates a roundtrip mission to Mars takes two to three years based on optimal planetary alignment.
- Brazilian researcher Marcelo de Oliveira Souza proposes using asteroid orbital data, specifically from asteroid 2001 CA21, to identify faster Earth-Mars routes.
- Souza's study found that a 2031 Earth–Mars–Earth trajectory aligned with the asteroid's orbit could reduce the roundtrip mission time to about five months.
- The proposed mission scenarios include outbound journeys as short as 33 days and return trips around 90 days, with the longer 226-day option being most feasible.
- The study suggests utilizing early small-body orbits as a novel method to discover quicker, fuel-efficient interplanetary travel routes beyond traditional planetary alignment planning.
