Notes

 

 

Comparative Planetology

 

One of the most important areas of astronomy is the field of comparative planetology. By studying planets and other large bodies in the solar system, we learn about the history and possible future of our own.

 

Some large bodies, such as Mars, Mercury and the Moon, have preserved a record of the history of the solar system, in their craters and in the evidence for lava flows and other surface alterations.

 

On the other hand, Venus gives a frightening glimpse into a possible future of the Earth, should the "greenhouse effect" become significant here.

 

Even the giant planets, different though they seem, offer insight into the formation of the solar system, its stability, and its history, and therefore are important to a complete understanding of the Earth's history. In particular, the moons of the outer planets are in some cases comparable to inner solar system objects.

Slingshots

 

Hohmann Transfer Orbit

http://www.iki.rssi.ru/mirrors/stern/stargaze/Smars1.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNdB3nmAl_0

 

 

Gravitational Slingshot