Aerobraking to Jupiter/Europa and Saturn/Titan

This is only approximate, it assumes circular planet/moon orbits with zero inclination

Launch Velocity

\large \Delta v_p = v_{ce} { \Large \left( \sqrt{ { 2 r_a } \over { r_e + r_a } } -1 \right)}~~~ J: 8.7896 , S: 10.2896 km/s

\Delta v_{launch} = \sqrt{ \Delta {v_p}^2 + {v_{esc} }^2 }~~~ J: 14.2 , S: 15.21 km/s

Transfer time ( Earth Years)

Years \large = \sqrt{ ( 1 + AU )^3 / 32 }~~~ J: 2.73 , S: 5.21 years

Apogee Delta V, Delta V to moon transfer

\large \Delta v_a = v_{cp}{ \Large \left( 1 - \sqrt{ { 2 r_e } \over { r_e + r_a } } \right) }~~~ J: 5.6467 , S: 5.471 km/s

\large v_{periapse.planet} = \sqrt{ \Delta {v_a}^2 + {v_{esc} }^2 }~~~ J: 59.77 , S: 35.90 km/s

Moon transfer distance ratio b = r_{moon} / r_{planet}~~~ J: 9.3859 , S: 6.2138

Moon transfer periapse velocity \large v_{mp} = v_{m} { \Large \sqrt{ { 2 b^2 } \over { 1 + b }}}~~~ J: 56.592 , S: 34.611 km/s

Gee force \large = v_{periapse.planet}^2 / ( 9.8 * r_{planet})~~~ J: 5.1 , S: 2.2 gees

• this is very approximate; on the one hand, the trajectory through the planetary atmosphere will curve less, but there will be more gee force from the deceleration itself.

Perigee deceleration DV \large = v_{periapse.planet} - v_{mp}~~~ J: 2.2 , S: 1.3 km/s

Moon Landing delta V

Moon transfer apoapse velocity \large v_{ma} = v_{m} \left( 1- \Large \sqrt{ 2 \over { 1 + b } } \right)~~~ J: 1.323 , S: 2.637 km/s

Landing velocity \large = \sqrt{ \Delta {v_{ma}}^2 + {v_{me} }^2 }~~~ J: 2.423 , S: 3.731 km/s

The motivation for this page was a claim that an aerobraking at Saturn landing on Titan (see the alleged non-fiction book BeyondEarth) was possible because in the novel 2010 by A.C. Clarke, an aerobraking at Jupiter to a landing on Europa was possible. Well ... Saturn/Titan is sorta/kinda easier in some ways, but 2010 does not mention the high radial gees necessary to stay in the very narrow radial deceleration altitude zone at Jupiter.