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Digital Lab Mission Training Be a Spacecraft Engineer

STARDUST's Trajectory

You chose to wait until the comet is closest to Earth, then launch the spacecraft on a direct trajectory to the rendezvous. That may seem fast and efficient—but the spacecraft would have to travel very quickly to cover such a distance but in fact it uses much more fuel than is necessary.

Look over the other trajectories below and try again!

Trajectory Option B
Option A:
Launch: 1999
Trajectory: Direct, to rendezvous with the comet on its closest approach to Earth
Trajectory Option A

Option C:
Launch: 1999
Trajectory: Three orbits around the sun, twice using the Earth's gravity to slingshot the spacecraft to the rendezvous point.
Trajectory Option C