2026/05/21 by Ryszard Gabryszewski, Leszek Czechowski, Arkadiusz Hess · 4 voices
Physics and Astronomy · #astro-ph.EP
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2026.117164
We assess the dynamical feasibility of redirecting small volatile-bearing trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) onto Mars-impacting orbits using continuous low-thrust propulsion and a single gravity-assist encounter. The study considers two representative dynamical classes: classical Kuiper Belt--like and Scattered Disk--like initial orbits, and determines the minimum characteristic velocity increment ΔV required to drive the objects onto a Mars-impacting trajectory within a specified transfer time ΔT. The dynamics is modelled in the two-body problem with a fixed maximum low thrust included, allowing the computed ΔV to represent a dynamical lower bound independent of specific propulsion-technical implementation. Three trajectory classes are investigated: (i) inward spiral transfer, (ii) time-dependent thrust-direction steering optimized via global evolutionary algorithms, and (iii) hybrid transfers combining low thrust with a single Neptune flyby. Pure spiral trajectories yield very high velocity expenditures (ΔV \gtrsim 22~\mathrmkm~s-1) and millennia durations, confirming that monotonic inward migration is dynamically inefficient for TNO redirection. In contrast, optimized steering strategies systematically increase orbital eccentricity and achieve Mars-impacting geometries with ΔV ≈ 2.5--3.2~\mathrmkm~s-1 over 380--540 yr timescales. A single Neptune encounter further reduces the total ΔV in favourable cases, with minimum values falling below those of direct optimized transfers. These results establish a quantitative lower bound on the energy cost of importing volatiles from the outer Solar System to Mars, showing that controlled redirection is feasible under modest ΔV budgets when target bodies are chosen from favourable regions of orbital phase space.