Shoot the Moon

Shoot the Moon[pdf]

This is a paper which was published prior to Low Energy Transfer to the Moon and talks about much the same solution to a vexing problem – how to get from LEO (low earth orbit) to a lunar orbit with a minimum amount of energy. The paper notes that, using this technique, the transfer time may be around 6 months, compared to a few days – definitely not something that a person would want to be subjected to, but quite acceptable for properly shielded electronics.

Low Energy Transfer to the Moon

Low Energy Transfer to the Moon[pdf]

An intriguing paper about a method of low energy (estimated at 10% of current energy costs) movement from the earth to the moon taking into account all four bodies (sun, earth, moon, spaceship) involved instead of the typical two body method (earth, spaceship). This looks very, very interesting simply because it has the potential to dramatically decrease the launch cost of moon missions – making things like Google Lunar X Prize much more possible. Now, if only I could actually understand the specifics behind the math. Oh well, that’s what friends are for.