Spaceship A is at L4.
Spaceship B is at L5.
They are racing to reach the Moon. Each has the same engines, and
will go at the same speed.
Question #1: which will arrive first? Question #2: if I didn't have
much energy (and these ships weren't the supersleek dragsters they
undoubtedly are), what would be the optimal/energy-efficient orbital
"route" from each libration point to the Moon?
I.e., what I'm trying to figure out here is whether the fact that L4
is "ahead" of the Moon's position in orbit is an advantage or
disadvantage vis-a-vis L5's position "behind" the Moon's position in
orbit. My first thought was that Spaceship A will win easily (vis-a-
vis Question #1), because while it moves toward the Moon, the Moon is
moving toward it. But then I reflected that Spaceship A, in going
"backward", still has to compensate for the forces that are propelling
it "forward." And then I reflected that Spaceship A, in entering a
retrograde orbit, will actually start to move in toward the Earth.
And then I decided to put the question to all your brainiacs out there
in the hopes that someone will actually know the answer to this #$#
thing.
Just so we're all on the same page, this is the libration point
topography. (This map has the Sun at the center, but substitute the
Earth for the Sun, and the Moon for the Earth, assume a
counterclockwise lunar orbit, and we're golden.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lagrange_points.jpg
thanks!
FA
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