Advanced Techniques: the Oberth maneuver

[SPQRALAN]

I knew about the Oberth effect but I can't put it into action. Every time my transfer window is not at the Periapsis, I would just say a bad word. Thanks to your post, now I can actually put the transfer window into my own hands instead of just leaving it to luck. For a guy without the expansion(me in 6/12/2019) I need to take every possible action to save fuel and your post just helped me a lot. Merci beaucoup.

 

[Tony]

You're the teacher of SFS. All your lessons should be pinned, they are an excellent reference for people who don't know much about rocketry or Space Maneuvering, like me when I started playing this game a long ago... And If I've managed to dominate every aspect of space Maneuvering like you told me once, Its because of your threads. Thank you.

Altaïr. It is obvious that Altaïr has a lot of knowledge above us on aerospace. but he also kindness to help us. very big thanks to him for taking the time to explain to us

 

[SPQRALAN]

Master Yoda, please teach me the ways of the Force...

Yoda: Be patient. Take your time. Don't be so impulsive.
Impulse=Force*time=mass*change in velocity

 

[Blazer Ayanami]

Yoda: Be patient. Take your time. Don't be so impulsive.
Impulse=Force*time=mass*change in velocity

No, Yoda would say: Patient, be. Your time, take. So Impulsive, don't be.

 

[SPQRALAN]

No, Yoda would say: Patient, be. Your time, take. So Impulsive, don't be.

Fair point. He died in Empire Strikes Back right? Not sure.

 

[Blazer Ayanami]

Fair point. He died in Empire Strikes Back right? Not sure.

No, at the beginning of Return of the Jedi

 

[Altaïr]

BOT please

 

[Earl]

I knew about the Oberth effect but I can't put it into action. Every time my transfer window is not at the Periapsis, I would just say a bad word. Thanks to your post, now I can actually put the transfer window into my own hands instead of just leaving it to luck. For a guy without the expansion(me in 6/12/2019) I need to take every possible action to save fuel and your post just helped me a lot. Merci beaucoup.

Just burn at the window. That will move them close, and break it up into multiple burns to use oberth

 

[SPQRALAN]

Just burn at the window. That will move them close, and break it up into multiple burns to use oberth

Thanks. I kind of figured it out after this post but your reply helped me a lot too. .

 

[Blazer Ayanami]

So, the most efficient route to perform a jovian tour is... Callisto - Ganymede - Europa - Io, to get the most Oberth Effect from Jupiter when trying to escape the System, right?

 

[Altaïr]

So, the most efficient route to perform a jovian tour is... Callisto - Ganymede - Europa - Io, to get the most Oberth Effect from Jupiter when trying to escape the System, right?

Both directions are roughly equivalent. When you start with Io, you'll benefit from the Oberth effect during your insertion, when you enter the jovian system. Inverting the order in which you visit them just makes you gain what you lose on another side.
But actually, the most efficient technique (without considering gravity assist) to perform a full galilean trip is:
- using a bi-elliptic transfer to join the first moon you chose (Io or Callisto)
- hoping from one moon to another using Hohmann transfers
- leaving the last moon with a bi-elliptic transfer, followed by an Oberth maneuver.

Those bi-elliptic transfers are very efficient in the jovian system.

 

[Blazer Ayanami]

Both directions are roughly equivalent. When you start with Io, you'll benefit from the Oberth effect during your insertion, when you enter the jovian system. Inverting the order in which you visit them just makes you gain what you lose on another side.
But actually, the most efficient technique (without considering gravity assist) to perform a full galilean trip is:
- using a bi-elliptic transfer to join the first moon you chose (Io or Callisto)
- hoping from one moon to another using Hohmann transfers
- leaving the last moon with a bi-elliptic transfer, followed by an Oberth maneuver.

Those bi-elliptic transfers are very efficient in the jovian system.

I know, I was planning to stick as close as possible to Jup during the Orbital insertion, then go to apoapsis and perform -bielliptic transfer to Callisto.

 

[Blazer Ayanami]

Thread moved to SFS General Discussions.

Although it is designed to SFS 1.4, the basic concept of the Oberth Effect works in any universe, as long as it follows the Newtonian physics. So yeah, it also works in SFS 1.5 and beyond.