Study of methods for automatic path finding on the Tisserand graph

Abstract

Interplanetary missions have awoken the interest of space agencies with the objective of discovering and analyzing distant planets. Distant targets become impractical to explore due to the large amount of propellant that is needed, and therefore saving fuel becomes of great use in such missions. The use of gravity-assist saves fuel by using the gravitational field of planets in order to modify the heliocentric velocity of a spacecraft or probe. The Tisserand graph is a useful tool that can be used to find sequences of gravity-assists in order to reach a target planet, and for that reason it becomes a powerful tool in preliminary mission design. In this thesis, a method to find paths in a complete automatic manner on the Tisserand graph is described and developed. The outcome of this study is an algorithm that can find all possible sequences of planets in order to reach a goal planet. The algorithm aims to be as general as possible, so it can be applied to multiple orbital systems.