Bucket brigades in space

Screenshot of delta v map from EML-2 to Low Phobos Orbit (Mars) : map via delta-v map on github

Just toying around with the idea of making a supply line that runs from Earth to Mars. At each node, cargo could be exchanged in order to make kind of a bucket brigade. You could pass along pre-fabbed materials from Earth, while grabbing up fuel at each step. There could be a staging area where these could accumulate while you wait for launch windows to open up.

Musk is planning to build hundreds of these starships. So he could just launch each one with some prefabbed materials to build whatever is needed. If you need to store materials at each node of the way, the first launches will go toward building that node so that it could support the next node, and so forth.

The goal should be to make the entire node structure as self-sufficient as is feasible. If you have a re-filling station, then perhaps the fuel could be made there with raw materials sourced from say Phobos, the Moon, the Earth, and Mars.

Updated with a few back of the envelope calcs and notes (please forgive the informality):

Using the gizmo mentioned above:

Some destinations and their delta-v's please:

These can get from Low Earth Orbit to Geosynchonous Orbit, and out:

Leo to Geo 3.91 km/s

Geo to EML-2 2.6 km/s

Moon to EML-2 2.3 km/s



Loxleo is a topic covered previously on this blog, click on the bolded link below to see:

LOXLEO to LEO ? km/s ; would have to supply it with power

@ EML-2 could intercept and capture near earth objects (asteroids) and return them for processing

can return asteroidal material to the lunar surface along with fuel obtained from phobos and / or mars

lunar surface could process the asteroidal material and make things with it either fuel or solar panels to be used for loxleo

Here's the delta-v's for the trips from the moon to Mars:

low phobos to EML-2 2.78 km/s

low phobos to lmo 1.243 km/s

lmo to Mars 3.6 km/s

phobos to Mars 4.848 km/s



A fully fueled Starship can make the trips, and possibly with exceptionally large cargoes. How 'bout them apples?

Screenshot of pdf file , which lists pages and pages of these asteroids that may be accessed for use in situ resourcing in support of deep space missions