Identification of post-aerocapture parking orbit for entry with near minimum fuel consumption

Identifying the parking orbit after aerocapture can be an important aid for planet landing mission analysis and design. The objective of this paper is to present methods for computing a parking orbit to transfer a post-aerocapture orbit into it and deorbit from it to enter atmosphere with near minimum fuel consumption. This paper presents: 1) an approach to the solution of minimization of velocity increment of deorbit manoeuvre according to orbital mechanics with the help of contour maps, 2) an approach to minimize velocity increment of periapsis-raising manoeuvre similar to that of the deorbit manoeuvre and 3) an approach to minimize the total velocity increment of both manoeuvres based on flight mechanics and Gauss pseudospectral method (GPM). To illustrate their effectiveness, the approaches are employed to characterise the performance of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)-type vehicle for Mars aerocapture and entry from orbit. Roles for the approaches in choosing nominal parking orbit are described.