Question
Launch windows for spacecraft heading to this planet occur roughly every 26 months. For 10 points each:
[10e] Name this planet, which was visited by the Ingenuity helicopter and Perseverance rover after a launch window in July 2020.
ANSWER: Mars
[10h] Optimal launch windows for spacecraft can be identified using these diagrams, which are generated by solving Lambert’s targeting problem. They plot curves of constant characteristic energy on a graph whose axes are arrival date and launch date.
ANSWER: porkchop plots
[10m] Lambert's theorem states that, for a fixed initial and final position, the transfer time depends solely on this quantity. A term proportional to negative one over this quantity appears on the right-hand side of the vis-viva equation.
ANSWER: semi-major axis length (of the transfer orbit) [prompt on a]
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Summary
| 2023 BHSU @ Berkeley | 03/18/2023 | Y | 3 | 13.33 | 100% | 33% | 0% |
| 2023 BHSU @ Maryland | 03/11/2023 | Y | 3 | 10.00 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| 2023 BHSU @ Northwestern | 02/25/2023 | Y | 6 | 15.00 | 100% | 33% | 17% |
| 2023 BHSU @ Waterloo | 04/15/2023 | Y | 2 | 15.00 | 100% | 0% | 50% |
Data
| Milan et al. | Neg 5! Playing Quizbowl, Liddy Style | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| The Passion According to C.H. | The Vulture's Guide to Buzz | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 |