Bat chart

A Bat Chart showing an Earth to Mars mission architecture using multiple launches of the Falcon 9 rocket.

Another Mars Bat Chart (From [1]).

A bat chart is a type of schematic used at NASA to illustrate various mission timelines and architectures. A fundamental component of Powerpoint Engineering, it is one of the first diagrams created when someone dreams up a new manned spaceflight mission. Typically, a bat chart has Earth at the bottom, and the destination (e.g., ISS, Moon, Mars, NEO, etc.) at the top. It is called a "bat chart" because it typically includes a lander of some sort hanging upside down (like a bat) on the top portion of the diagram.

Trivia

• Bat charts make Edward Tufte cry.
• Bat charts are only marginally associated with Batman.

See also

• Constellation
• Powerpoint Engineering