Space Rendezvous

Apollo Program solved many problems to achieve its goal. One of the key solutions was the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous (LOR). On my previous article I proposed a feasible approach for a human planetary mission. A straight forward solution would be a giant rocket with almost ten stages. However, it would be almost impossible to implement it. On the other hand, building mediocre rockets and sending the required modules to the destination planet ahead solves most of the problems. Each module sent would require a planetary orbit rendezvous to succeed.

Current spaceships have successfully conducted Earth orbit rendezvous mainly to ISS. However, no new rocket has been tested for a Lunar Orbit Rendezvous yet a rendezvous on another planet.

My previous article also mentions a Space Rendezvous. It is a booster module docking to a Living Module (LvM) which is on a trajectory to Earth. Such a docking has not been conducted before. The objective is to supply additional thrust to the Living Module on its way home to reduce the travel time. Depending on the distance, more than one such rendezvous may be necessary.

1960’s Dr. John Houbolt was convinced, like several others at Langley Research Center, that LOR was not only the most feasible way to make it to the Moon before the decade was out, it was the only way. In case of the planetary human missions; Space Rendezvous is the only way.