Somehow I don't think this is new. The ballistic capture idea is, lob a spacecraft to mars orbit and let the planet pull it in, rather than have to provide breaking fuel necessary with a standard Hohmann transfer. Constant acceleration craft using things like Ion propulsion or METs use a spiral transfer.
http://gizmodo.com/we-found-a-new-and-c ... socialflow
Ballistic Capture
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GIThruster
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Ballistic Capture
"Courage is not just a virtue, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." C. S. Lewis
Re: Ballistic Capture
It would certainly seem to be a better way to land supplies.
‘What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.’
— Lord Melbourne —
— Lord Melbourne —