Very stupid orbital mechanics question: I feel like my intuition is broken on cyclers. Reading a claim that you end up saving a lots of mass. I buy this but my physics brain feels like it's cheating because when you rendezvous, don't you eat up the cycler's momentum?
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Replying to @ZachWeiner
the cycler, once accelerated, never slows down the cycler is massive and contains reusable things - structure, energy source, air and water recycling equipment at each end (Earth / Mars) shuttles match velocities with it, transfer cargo, then accelerate to match planet
6:20 AM - 24 Jun 2021
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