Hohmann Transfer to Exterior Planet
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Hohmann Transfer to Interior Planet
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The simplest way to travel from planet A to planet B is a path
which touches planet A's orbit at departure and planet B's at arrival.
This is the so-called Hohmann transfer, denoted by a dashed line on the
above diagram, and is the best path to use when
both planets move on circular orbits.
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Launch usually happens near conjunction ie when both planets are aligned
with and on the same side of the Sun. Travelling to an exterior planet eg Mars
requires a launch shortly after conjunction since Mars travels slower
than the Earth on its orbit. The opposite is true for an interior planet
ie Venus where one has to depart the Earth before conjunction.
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