In the present paper we study and classify the swing-by maneuvers that use the Moon as the body for the close approach. The goal is to simulate a large variety of initial conditions for those orbits and classify them according to the effects caused by the close approach in the orbit of the spacecraft. Special attention is given to identify the regions where the captures and escapes occur. The classical three parameters (Jacobian constant, pericenter distance and angle of approach) used to identify a Swing-By maneuver are varied in large intervals to cover a large range of possibilities for the maneuver. Letter-plots figures are made to show the results obtained in a compact form. The theoretical prediction that for 0° ≤ ψ ≤ 180° the spacecraft losses energy and for 180° ≤ ψ ≤ 360° the spacecraft gains energy is confirmed. Regions containing trajectories that are candidates to generate Belbruno-Miller trajectories are identified. The well-known planar restricted circular three-body problem is used as the mathematical model. The equations are regularized (using Lamaiˆtre’s regularization), so it is possible to avoid the numerical problems that come from the close approach with the Moon.
Classification of a class of relative equilibria in three body coulomb systems