How do you design an aerobraking campaign for orbit capture?

Aerobraking uses atmospheric drag to reduce orbit energy without propellant. Mission design: Initial orbit - High apoapsis, low periapsis in atmosphere; Walk-in phase - Gradually lower periapsis into atmosphere, Characterize heating and dynamic pressure; Main phase - Repeated atmospheric passes, Each pass reduces apoapsis, Targeting periapsis altitude for desired drag; Walk-out - Raise periapsis out of atmosphere when target orbit reached. Spacecraft requirements: Thermal protection (heating during passes), Structural margins for dynamic pressure, Large solar arrays act as drag surfaces, and Attitude control during atmospheric passes. Operations: Daily orbit determination, Periapsis targeting maneuvers (~weekly), and Contingency raise maneuvers if heating exceeds limits. Duration: Months (Mars Odyssey, MRO). Trade-offs: Propellant savings (90%+) vs time vs risk. Design margins: Maximum heating rate, integrated heat load, and dynamic pressure limits. Enables missions with smaller launch vehicles.