How long would a trip to mars take

At its average distance away from us, the destination towards Mars at the speed of light would take you only The journey towards the Red Planet takes quite a bit of time, no matter how you look at it. But how long did it take for other probes or spacecraft to reach Mars? Here is a little list:. The trip to Mars always takes somewhere between to days. Its destination?

The Red Planet and it will reach it at current estimations, in The prime goal of Perseverance is to search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. The first time a NASA surface craft has actively hunted for possible Martian life was when the twin Viking landers did so from the mids through the early s.

Another ambitious plan in the near future is the Mars One mission, conducted by the Dutch company, which bears the same name. The Mars One mission is scheduled to occur in To establish the first human settlement on the Red Planet, and to regularly send a new crew to join the first one, from two to two years. It is currently unknown how the current COVID crisis may impact the schedule of this mission, but people are more and more interested in colonizing the Red Planet nonetheless.

Apart from this, Mars is really a cold place with average surface temperatures reaching 21 degrees Celsius; however, in the night, temperatures drop to degrees Celsius. The Martian dust is also dangerous to humans, as it is toxic, finely grained, and abrasive, which is terrible for our lungs if we were exposed to it. The last thing to worry about would be radiation. Accordingly, we can estimate the time it would take to complete this orbit by averaging the lengths of Earth's orbit and Mars' orbit.

Therefore, it would take about one and a half years to complete the elliptical orbit. You have to plan ahead to make sure that by the time you reach the distance of Mar's orbit, that Mars is where you need it to be!

Practically, this means that you can only begin your trip when Earth and Mars are properly lined up. This only happens every 26 months.

That is, there is only one launch window every 26 months. The trip could be shortened by burning more fuel — a process not ideal with today's technology, Patten said.

Evolving technology can help to shorten the flight. SLS is currently being constructed and tested, with its first flight planned for Robotic spacecraft could one day make the trip in only three days. Photon propulsion would rely on a powerful laser to accelerate spacecraft to velocities approaching the speed of light. The method could propel a lb.

Here is a list of how long it took several historical missions to reach the red planet. Their launch dates are included for perspective. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community space. Nola Taylor Tillman is a contributing writer for Space. How far away is Mars from Earth? What challenges does a manned mission to Mars present? Wonder What's Next?

Try It Out Ready to do some deeper exploration of Mars? Ask a friend or family member to join you as you journey forth to explore one or more of the following activities: Have you ever WONDERed what Mars looks like? Jump online to check out the Mars Exploration Rovers Images gallery. You can also explore cool Mars images at MarsQuest Online. If you prefer moving images, you can watch several Mars Exploration Rovers videos about the rovers and the challenges of getting to Mars!

Knowing what you now know about Mars and how long a trip to the red planet might take, would you go if you had the chance? Why or why not? What factors would you consider important in making your decision?

What would excite you about a trip to Mars? What would worry you about such a trip? Leaving friends and family behind? Do the potential benefits outweigh the concerns? What will it take to live on Mars? That's the question posed by Imagine Mars , a national arts, science and technology initiative that challenges young people to imagine and design a livable Mars community of the future.

If you're up for a challenge, take some time to explore the Imagine Mars website. You'll learn all sorts of interesting facts about Mars and the challenges humans would face to live there on a permanent basis.

Can you design a community of the future that could overcome these challenges? Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words orbit barrier cosmic cringe physical window astronaut patience prolonged exposure enthusiast psychological coincide radiation isolation opposition conjunction trip Take the Wonder Word Challenge.

Join the Discussion. Noelle Dec 10, Dec 12, I love this wonder is cool I love space! Mar 5, Nicholas B Mar 2, I love the question I l cant wait until they get to mars I love space and will you put one on somthing about apollo 11? Mj Feb 16, Now i know how far mars really is from earth :. Feb 23, Can't remember exactly.

Some mathematics person could figure it exactly. Oct 4, Wow, sounds like you've really researched this topic!! Thanks for the information, dan! Sep 25, That's right, sarah. That's a long time!!! Would you want to go to Mars? Sky Jan 7, HI, sarah!! Chris Apr 9, Here is a video answering this same question about the distance between earth and Mars. Apr 10, Thanks for sharing that, Chris! Nayan Feb 23, Why are the people of NASA even trying to get to mars? Because it's there? That's the best we can figure, Nayan.

Good question! Hunter Griggs Jan 19, Jan 19, Riley Oct 26, So many theory's what to believe and what not to. Oct 26, I am using this article as a resource for my science project, and I need to know when it was written and the year of copyright, can you help? Oct 21, Stella Sep 13, Hey, I'm doing a project as if I was the astronaut venturing out to space, how long does it take to get to Mars and back in a 2 way trip?

Thanks, Stella. Sep 14, Mabel Jul 9, There were lots of pros about going to Mars but I think my cons definitely beat the good things. Jul 11, Ewan Jul 17, Jul 19, Hope May 3, Sep 22, Hello there, sperklles! May 11, May 5, Shelby Oct 13, Oct 16, Hey there, Shelby!

Thanks for stopping at Wonderopolis! Innocence Apr 28, Apr 30, Thanks for sharing that fact, Innocence! That is a long time! Gautham : Apr 21, I wish astronauts land on mars safely. Apr 22, Mike Apr 18, It takes a really really long time to get to mars. Apr 20, Yes, it does, Mike! It's quite the journey! Diego Apr 7, In this topic I learned how long it takes to fly to Mars. Apr 8, We couldn't believe how long it would take!

Apr 2, Hi, joaquin! We're glad you stopped by! Ava Apr 7, Thanks for sharing, joaquin! That would be a long time traveling in space! Mar 28, Quinton Mar 10, Mar 13, I hope I can live up to Thanks for the information,your the best site wonderopolis! Mabel Jul 10, Thanks for joining the conversation, Mabel!

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