Question

A minimum-energy transfer orbit to anouter planet consists of putting a spacecraft on an ellipticaltrajectory with the departure plant corresponding to the perihelionof the ellipse, or the closest point to the Sun, and the arrivalplanet at the aphelion, or the farthest point from the Sun. a) useKepler’s third law to calculate how long it would take to go fromEarth to Mars on such an orbit as shown below. b) can such an orbitbe under-taken at any time? Explain.

A minimum-energy transfer orbit to an outer planet consists of putting a spacecraft on an elliptical trajectory with the departure plant corresponding to the perihelion of the ellipse, or the closest point to the Sun, and the arrival planet at the aphelion, or the farthest point from the Sun. a) use Kepler?s third law to calculate how long it would take to go from Earth to Mars on such an orbit as shown below. b) can such an orbit be under-taken at any time? Explain.