Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: Aerobraking Sequencing Operations and Lessons Learned

September, 2006. Aerobraking includes directing a spacecraft to pass through the atmosphere of a planet in order to dissipate a spacecraft's orbital energy. This allows a spacecraft's orbital period to be dramatically reduced without the expenditure of a significant amount of fuel. Aerobraking operations tend to be very labor intensive, with command products constructed frequently to control the spacecraft, including performing regular maneuvers to maintain a desired altitude as the spacecraft passes through the atmosphere. The Mars 2001 Odyssey spacecraft also utilized aerobraking prior to settling into its operational orbit in 2002, as did Mars Global Surveyor from 1997 to 1999. Many lessons were learned in the operations of these two precursor missions that were leveraged in behalf of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This paper will outline some of those lessons learned, compare and contrast the operational strategies between Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and report on specific statistics regarding the frequency of commanding that was required to perform aerobraking. I. Aerobraking Basics EROBRAKING is a spaceflight maneuver performed by a spacecraft near a planet with an atmosphere. Th