Many cycler concepts have been proposed to provide safe and comfortable quarters for astronauts traveling between the Earth and Mars. However, no literature has appeared to show how these massive vehicles might be placed into their cycler trajectories. In this paper, we explore the use of V1 leveraging to establish cycler vehicles in their desired orbits. In all cases, V1 leveraging reduces the total V to achieve the cycler orbit. In the case of the classic Aldrin cycler, the propellant savings can be as large as 23 metric tons for a cycler vehicle with a dry mass of 70 metric tons. The two-synodic period cyclers enjoy lesser gains from V1 leveraging, but have a smaller total mass due to their low approach velocities at Earth and Mars. These characteristics make the two-synodic period cyclers attractive for an Earth-Mars human transportation system. If the one-way concept is selected, in which humans remain permanently on Mars, then the number of required two-synodic period cycler vehicles drops from four to two. The cycler concept may provide a crucial enabling technology that is safe, economical, and sustainable for the continuous habitation of Mars.

Buzz Aldrin ( AWL-drin; born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. He was the second person to walk on the Moon after mission commander Neil Armstrong. He made three spacewalks as pilot of NASA’s 1966 Gemini 12 mission, and was the Lunar Module Eagle pilot on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission. Following the deaths of Armstron Buzz Aldrin ( AWL-drin; born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January… After leaving NASA, Aldrin continued to advocate for space exploration. In 1985 he joined the University of North Dakota (UND)'s College of Aerospace Sciences at the invitation of John D. Odegard, the dean of the college. Aldrin helped to develop UND's Space Studies program and brought David Webb from NASA to serve as the department's first chair. To further promote space exploration, and to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing, Aldrin teamed up with Snoop Dogg, Quincy Jones, Talib Kweli, and Soulja Boy to create the rap single and video "Rocket Experience", proceeds from which were donated to Aldrin's non-profit foundation, ShareSpace. He is also a member of the Mars Society's Steering committee. In 1985, Aldrin proposed a special spacecraft trajectory now known as the Aldrin cycler. Cycler trajectories offer reduced cost of repeated travel to Mars by using less propellant. The Aldrin cycler provided a five and a half month journey from the Earth to Mars, with a return trip to Earth of the same duration on a twin cycler orbit. Aldrin continues to research this concept with engineers from Purdue University. In 1996 Aldrin founded Starcraft Boosters, Inc. (SBI) to design reusable rocket launchers. In December 2003, Aldrin published an opinion piece in The New York Times criticizing NASA's objectives. In it, he voiced concern about NASA's development of a spacecraft "limited to transporting four astronauts at a time with little or no cargo carrying capability" and declared the goal of sending astronauts back to the Moon was "more like reaching for past glory than striving for new triumphs". In a June 2013 opinion piece in The New York Times, Aldrin supported a human mission to Mars and which viewed the Moon "not as a destination but more a point of departure, one that places humankind on a trajectory to homestead Mars and become a two-planet species." In August 2015, in association with the Florida Institute of Technology, Aldrin presented a master plan to NASA for consideration where astronauts, with a tour of duty of ten years, establish a colony on Mars before the year 2040.