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I saw a reference to the [interplanetary transport network](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplanetary_Transport_Network http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplan
by vardhanw 13y ago
I saw a reference to the [interplanetary transport network](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplanetary_Transport_Network http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplanetary_Transport_Networ...) sometime back, and wanted to confirm if that is the only/best way to travel between planets and is that what the MOM is doing, i.e. it has entered into one of those paths where it does not need to spend any energy till it reaches nearby Mars.
- Pinckney 13y agoNo, the ITN isn't the only way to travel, and it's not what MOM is using. It's just doing a Hohmann transfer, which is just about the most basic orbital maneuver possible. The ITN is the clever, sneaky way to travel between planets with a shoestring fuel budget by bouncing around chaotically. It can be better, but it does tend to take a whole lot longer. Note that even a standard Hohmann doesn't need to spend any fuel until arrival (aside from minor course corrections). But with the ITN, it's potentially cheaper to achieve certain chaotic trajectories than it is to change the orbit enough for a Hohmann.