NASA has just calculated an unprecedented trajectory guaranteeing faster and less expensive access to the Moon. These various orbital maneuvers have also been patented. In other words, the various private companies and agencies that would like to benefit from it will have to "check out".
The most "important" missions to the Moon - like the Apollo missions or future Artemis missions - usually take a "direct" path. The method makes it possible to arrive on site more quickly (in a few days). It is indeed difficult to imagine astronauts staying in a small capsule for several weeks. In contrast, these missions involve large rockets loaded with huge amounts of fuel, so that they can extract themselves from the gravitational pull of the Earth. These launches are therefore very expensive .
There are also other "paths" to get to the Moon. These are generally taken by the smaller probes. The idea is to let yourself swing around the Earth in such a way as to enjoy a gravitational slingshot . The technique saves fuel, ultimately allowing the presence of instruments that otherwise would not have been able to integrate the mission. On the other hand, the journey lasts much longer (several months).
Over the past few years, NASA has been looking for a way to guarantee quick access to the Moon for these small missions. By dint of calculations, the researchers finally found the solution.
The principle consists in initially taking advantage of the launch of more massive machines to allow small vessels to position themselves in a geosynchronous orbit at approximately 36,000 km altitude . Next, NASA's idea is to perform several acceleration and deceleration maneuvers to "surf" the combined gravities of the Earth and Moon so that it can get into lunar orbit.
Thanks to these various maneuvers, the American agency ensures that it could reach the Moon in just two and a half months, compared to about six months previously , all while minimizing the need for fuel.
The Dapper Mission (Polarimeter Pathfinder Dark Ages ) will be the first to take advantage of this new orbital trajectory. Its purpose will be to record low-frequency radio waves emitted during the early epochs of the Universe away from human interference on the far side of the Moon.
In addition, the US agency has even decided to patent the various "orbital maneuvers" necessary to take this new trajectory. This might seem strange at first. Nevertheless, for Jack Burns, head of the Dapper program, the invention of this trajectory is indeed "intellectual property".
Besides, NASA usually doesn't charge "not much" for licensing its patents (no more than $10,000). In other words, the idea is not to make money at all costs. It is simply a matter of recognizing the work done and reimbursing the sums invested .
Unofficially, it also prevents private companies from patenting these same techniques to offer them at exorbitant sums, stresses Business Insider, which would obviously hamper the free market of research.
