How long does it take to get to Mars

How long does it take to get to Mars (3)

The time taken to land on planet mars from earth is not constant but varies depending on the time the journey is taken and the position of the two planets in their orbits when the mission is started.

The journey is said to take around seven months.

However, the best way to determine how long the will trip take is first by determining the distance between the two planets.

What causes the variation in time?

How long does it take to get to Mars (2)The distance between these two planets depends on some factors such as the position of the planet in relation to the sun.

For instance, Mars and Earth are in their farthest distance from the sun when they are on the opposite side of the sun and in their farthest distance from the sun. At this time, the distance between the two planets is estimated to be 250 million miles away.

Therefore, if the journey is taken at this time, it will be much longer than when they close to the sun. For example, when the two are at their shortest distance from the sun, the distance is a little bit shorter (34.8 million miles) and the time taken to land on Mars at this time will be less compared to the later.

On average, Planet Earth and planet Mars are 140 million miles away. The total time taken to get to planet Mars at this time is estimated to be between 150 and 300 days.

However, this time varies with the speed of the spacecraft, alignment of planet Mars and Planet Earth.

Recorded Duration from Earth to MarsHow long does it take to get to Mars (1)

A lot of scientists have visited planet Mars and taken different time to get there.

Mariner 4 that traveled to Mars on 1964 took 228 days; Mariner 6 of 1969 took 156 days from Earth to Mars. Mariner 7 took only 131 days. In 1971, Mariner 9, the fastest spacecraft, took a duration of 167 days to arrive on the same planet.

As aforementioned, the difference in time is because of the factors stated earlier. Again, the fact that the distance between the two planets is not straight is also a cause of variation in time taken to land on planet Mars.

Conclusion

A lot of spacecraft have traveled to planet Mars, but none has had a similar duration.

Each spacecraft record a different duration.

However, the variation depends on the factors mentioned.

Therefore, there is no precise answer to the question, how does long does it take to get to planet Mars?
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