images

Mars cycler and manned maneuvering units - Artist view

by

Walter B. Myers/Novapix

Reference

e-exm01-00013

Date

2009-07-19

A Mars cycler swings by the Earth and onward to Mars while two astronauts in manned maneuvering units (AKA, MMUs) watch from afar.
A Mars cycler is a permanently orbiting vehicle with a path that alternately brings it near Earth and Mars. Once a cycler has been accelerated into orbit it continues on its own momentum, going back and forth between the two planets, only requiring propellant for occasional course adjustments.
A one-way trip between Earth and Mars involves six to eight months of space travel, therefore a large and well-equipped Mars cycler would offer space explorers, and possibly even space tourists, better accommodations for these long journeys. Smaller spacecraft would ferry travelers between the planets and the cycler