Scientists have created a new mathematical method to optimize fuel efficiency for future space missions by finding more fuel-efficient routes. This shortcut could save space agencies billions of dollars and revolutionize the space tourism industry.
A trip to the moon might not need to break the bank, as scientists have discovered a shortcut that could slash the cost of future missions.
Much like flying on a jet, one of the biggest costs associated with getting to our lunar satellite is the fuel. NASA's Space Launch System rocket uses over two million litres of propellant at an estimated cost of $4bn (£2.8bn) per launch, while the Orion spacecraft needs yet more to navigate to the lunar surface.
However, scientists have now created a mathematical method that could save space agencies cash by finding more fuel–efficient routes. Space missions measure fuel by the amount it can change the rocket's velocity rather than as a volume, which would change depending on the fuel used. The researchers' new route requires 58.8 metres per second less fuel than the most efficient paths previously discovered.
That might not sound a lot compared to the journey's total fuel consumption of 3,342.96 metres per second. However, lead author Dr Allan Kardec de Almeida Júnior, of the University of Coimbra, says: 'When it comes to space travel, every meter per second equates to a massive amount of fuel consumption'. One of the most efficient ways to get to the moon is to take advantage of natural balance points in the solar system known as Lagrange Points.
At each of the five Lagrange Points, the gravitational forces of the Earth, moon, and sun are balanced. This means that a spaceship can park itself at one of these locations and travel through space without needing to burn any more fuel. The problem is that orbits around the Lagrange points are inherently unstable, and even tiny differences in trajectory can result in massive differences in outcome.
This makes calculating all the different paths that a spaceship might take through the Lagrange Point between the Earth and the Moon extremely time–consuming. However, Dr Almeida Júnior and his co–authors have pioneered the use of a new mathematical framework that makes these calculations much easier. Known as 'the theory of functional connections', their method allowed them to calculate millions rather than thousands of possible trajectories and pick the most efficient.
For their study, Dr Almeida Júnior and his team simulated 30 million different possible ways of reaching the moon to find the best option. The calculated routes were presented on a map of the first result
Fuel Efficiency Space Travel Lagrange Points Joseph–Louis Lagrange James Webb Space Telescope Tourism Industry Mining Activities
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