A new approach that riffs on the classic Traveling Salesperson problem could enable more efficient space missions to multiple objects that are in motion — like asteroids.
The researchers behind the fascinating solution to the problem are Isaac Rudich of the Department of Mathematical and Industrial Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal in Canada and Michael Römer, who is a decision analyst from the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics at Universität Bielefeld in Germany. "Our research is foundational, in the sense that it develops mathematical machinery that can be used by space agencies to plan missions," the duo told Space.com.
