Ricerc@Sapienza

In this paper, based on previous work on transferring to periodic
orbits from Nakamiya et al. [25], Dei Tos et al. [28], and Smet et al.
[30], we further extend the periodic orbits and their associated
invariant manifolds to orbit capture in the Martian system. Different
from the research by Dei Tos et al. [28], we focus on using the
periodic orbit to find capture opportunities into Keplerian orbits
around Mars, especially the Mars high orbit, which has not been
paid attention to before. Instead of capturing the spacecraft directly
into the target orbit, the spacecraft transfers first to a stable manifold
of a periodic orbit at a low-altitude periapsis and then moves along an
unstable manifold of the same periodic orbit to the target orbit. The
proposed capture scheme separates a single capture maneuver into
several smaller capture maneuvers at different periapsides. Meanwhile,
the orbit parameters relative to the target planet are changed by
multibody perturbations naturally, which reduces the capture cost.
The properties of the manifold-assisted capture are investigated in
the rotating frame, and the transfer trajectory in high-fidelity model is
designed. The simulation results show that the proposed capture method requires up to 32% less velocity increment than direct capture based on two-body theory. It also has advantages in the flexibility
of transfer, extra scientific returns, and less influence on gravity
loss, which provides a new option for future planetary exploration
missions.