how long would travel to mars take

How long does it take to get to Mars?

We explore how long it takes to get to Mars and the factors that affect a journey to the Red Planet.

• Distance to Mars
• Traveling at the speed of light

Fastest spacecraft so far

Mars travel time q&a with an expert.

• Travel time calculation problems
• Past mission's travel times

Additional resources

Ever wondered how long does it take to get to Mars? 

The answer depends on several factors, ranging from the position of Earth and Mars to the technology that would propel you there. According to NASA , a one-way trip to the Red Planet would take about nine months . If you wanted to make it a round-trip , all in all, it would take about 21 months as you will need to wait about three months on Mars to make sure Earth and Mars are in a suitable location to make the trip back home. 

We take a look at how long a trip to the Red Planet would take using available technology and explore some of the factors that would affect your travel time.

Related: Curiosity rover: 15 awe-inspiring photos of Mars (gallery) 

How far away is Mars?

To determine how long it will take to reach Mars, we must first know the distance between the two planets.

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, and the second closest to Earth (Venus is the closest). But the distance between Earth and Mars is constantly changing as they travel around the sun .

In theory, the closest that Earth and Mars would approach each other would be when Mars is at its closest point to the sun (perihelion) and Earth is at its farthest (aphelion). This would put the planets only 33.9 million miles (54.6 million kilometers) apart. However, this has never happened in recorded history. The closest recorded approach of the two planets occurred in 2003 when they were only 34.8 million miles (56 million km) apart.

The two planets are farthest apart when they are both at their farthest from the sun, on opposite sides of the star. At this point, they can be 250 million miles (401 million km) apart.

The average distance between Earth and Mars is 140 million miles (225 million km).

Related: What is the temperature on Mars?

How long would it take to travel to Mars at the speed of light?

Light travels at approximately 186,282 miles per second (299,792 km per second). Therefore, a light shining from the surface of Mars would take the following amount of time to reach Earth (or vice versa):

• Closest possible approach: 182 seconds, or 3.03 minutes
• Closest recorded approach: 187 seconds, or 3.11 minutes
• Farthest approach: 1,342 seconds, or 22.4 minutes
• On average: 751 seconds, or just over 12.5 minutes

The fastest spacecraft is NASA's Parker Solar Probe , as it keeps breaking its own speed records as it moves closer to the sun. On Nov 21, 2021, the Parker Solar Probe reached a top speed of 101 miles (163 kilometers) per second during its 10th close flyby of our star, which translates to a phenomenal 364,621 mph (586,000 kph). According to a NASA statement , when the Parker Solar Probe comes within 4 million miles (6.2 million kilometers) of the solar surface in December 2024, the spacecraft's speed will top 430,000 miles per hour (692,000 kph)!

So if you were theoretically able to hitch a ride on the Parker Solar Probe and take it on a detour from its sun-focused mission to travel in a straight line from Earth to Mars, traveling at the speeds the probe reaches during its 10th flyby (101 miles per second), the time it would take you to get to Mars would be:

• Closest possible approach: 93 hours 
• Closest recorded approach: 95 hours  
• Farthest approach: 686 hours (28.5 days)  
• On average: 384 hours (16 days)  

We asked Michael Khan, ESA Senior Mission Analyst some frequently asked questions about travel times to Mars. 

Michael Khan is a Senior Mission Analyst for the European Space Agency (ESA). His work involves studying the orbital mechanics for journeys to planetary bodies including Mars.

How long does it take to get to Mars & what affects the travel time?

The time it takes to get from one celestial body to another depends largely on the energy that one is willing to expend. Here  "energy" refers to the effort put in by the launch vehicle and the sum of the maneuvers of the rocket motors aboard the spacecraft, and the amount of propellant that is used. In space travel, everything boils down to energy. Spaceflight is the clever management of energy.

Some common solutions for transfers to the moon are 1) the Hohmann-like transfer and 2) the Free Return Transfer. The Hohmann Transfer is often referred to as the one that requires the lowest energy, but that is true only if you want the transfer to last only a few days and, in addition, if some constraints on the launch apply. Things get very complicated from there on, so I won't go into details.

Concerning transfers to Mars, these are by necessity interplanetary transfers, i.e., orbits that have the sun as central body. Otherwise, much of what was said above applies: the issue remains the expense of energy. An additional complication lies in the fact that the Mars orbit is quite eccentric and also its orbit plane is inclined with respect to that of the Earth. And of course, Mars requires longer to orbit the sun than the Earth does. All of this is taken into account in a common type of diagram called the "pork chop plot", which essentially tells you the required dates of departure and arrival and the amount of energy required.

The "pork chop plot" shows the trajectory expert that opportunities for Mars transfers arise around every 25-26 months, and that these transfers are subdivided into different classes, one that is a bit faster, with typically around 5-8 months and the other that takes about 7-11 months. There are also transfers that take a lot longer, but I’m not talking about those here. Mostly, but not always, the second, slower one turns out to be more efficient energy-wise. A rule of thumb is that the transfer to Mars takes around as long as the human period of gestation, approximately 9 months. But that really is no more than an approximate value; you still have to do all the math to find out what applies to a specific date.

Why are journey times a lot slower for spacecraft intending to orbit or land on the target body e.g. Mars compared to those that are just going to fly by?

If you want your spacecraft to enter Mars orbit or to land on the surface, you add a lot of constraints to the design problem. For an orbiter, you have to consider the significant amount of propellant required for orbit insertion, while for a lander, you have to design and build a heat shield that can withstand the loads of atmospheric entry. Usually, this will mean that the arrival velocity of Mars cannot exceed a certain boundary. Adding this constraint to the trajectory optimisation problem will limit the range of solutions you obtain to transfers that are Hohmann-like. This usually leads to an increase in transfer duration.

The problems with calculating travel times to Mars

The problem with the previous calculations is that they measure the distance between the two planets as a straight line. Traveling through the farthest passing of Earth and Mars would involve a trip directly through the sun, while spacecraft must of necessity move in orbit around the solar system's star.

Although this isn't a problem for the closest approach, when the planets are on the same side of the sun, another problem exists. The numbers also assume that the two planets remain at a constant distance; that is, when a probe is launched from Earth while the two planets are at the closest approach, Mars would remain the same distance away over the length of time it took the probe to travel. 

Related: A brief history of Mars missions

In reality, however, the planets are moving at different rates during their orbits around the sun. Engineers must calculate the ideal orbits for sending a spacecraft from Earth to Mars. Like throwing a dart at a moving target from a moving vehicle, they must calculate where the planet will be when the spacecraft arrives, not where it is when it leaves Earth. 

It's also not possible to travel as fast as you can possibly go if your aim is to eventually orbit your target planet. Spacecraft need to arrive slow enough to be able to perform orbit insertion maneuvers and not just zip straight past their intended destination. 

The travel time to Mars also depends on the technological developments of propulsion systems.

According to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's website, the ideal lineup for a launch to Mars would get you to the planet in roughly nine months. The website quotes physics professor Craig C. Patten , of the University of California, San Diego:

"It takes the Earth one year to orbit the sun and it takes Mars about 1.9 years (say 2 years for easy calculation) to orbit the sun. The elliptical orbit which carries you from Earth to Mars is longer than Earth's orbit but shorter than Mars' orbit. 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.

"In the nine months it takes to get to Mars, Mars moves a considerable distance around in its orbit, about three-eighths of the way around the sun. You have to plan to make sure that by the time you reach the distance of Mar's orbit, 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. NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) will be the new workhorse for carrying upcoming missions, and potentially humans, to the red planet. SLS is currently being constructed and tested, with NASA now targeting a launch in March or April 2022 for its Artemis 1 flight, the first flight of its SLS rocket.

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. Philip Lubin, a physics professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his team are working on Directed Energy Propulsion for Interstellar Exploration (DEEP-IN). The method could propel a 220-lb. (100 kilograms) robotic spacecraft to Mars in only three days, he said.

"There are recent advances which take this from science fiction to science reality," Lubin said at the 2015 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) fall symposium . "There's no known reason why we cannot do this." 

How long did past missions take to reach Mars?

Here is an infographic detailing how long it took several historical missions to reach the Red Planet (either orbiting or landing on the surface). Their launch dates are included for perspective. 

Explore NASA's lunar exploration plans with their Moon to Mars overview . You can read about how to get people from Earth to Mars and safely back again with this informative article on The Conversation . Curious about the human health risks of a mission to the Red Planet? You may find this research paper of particular interest.  

Bibliography

• Lubin, Philip. " A roadmap to interstellar flight. " arXiv preprint arXiv:1604.01356 (2016). 
• Donahue, Ben B. " Future Missions for the NASA Space Launch System. " AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2021 Forum . 2021. 
• Srinivas, Susheela. " Hop, Skip and Jump—The Moon to Mars Mission. " (2019). 

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: [email protected].

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Nola Taylor Tillman is a contributing writer for Space.com. She loves all things space and astronomy-related, and enjoys the opportunity to learn more. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English and Astrophysics from Agnes Scott college and served as an intern at Sky & Telescope magazine. In her free time, she homeschools her four children. Follow her on Twitter at @NolaTRedd

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How Long Does It Take to Get to Mars?

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All eyes are on the red planet lately. Thanks to a number of missions in the past few years – including the Perseverance Rover that touched down Feb. 22, 2021 – Mars is increasingly interesting to astronomers, astrophysicists and future astronauts. NASA plans to put astronauts on Mars in the future, and Elon Musk keeps claiming he'll do it first , but before we strap in and blast off, it helps to know exactly how long it takes to get to there.

Mars completes one turn around the sun every 687 Earth days . This means that the distance between Earth and Mars changes every day, and the two planets are aligned closely to one another roughly every 26 months . Additionally, because both Earth and Mars have elliptical orbits (and Mars' is more elliptical than Earth's), some of our close approaches are closer than others. The most recent notable close approach was Oct. 6, 2020, when Mars was just 38.57 million miles (62.07 million kilometers) from Earth.

So how long does it take to travel the almost 40 million miles to Mars? That depends on your speed. For example, the Perseverance rover traveled at a speed of about 24,600 mph (about 39,600 kph) and the journey took seven months , but that's because of where the Earth and Mars were at the time Perseverance was launched and where they were when it landed. If you could travel as fast as the New Horizons spacecraft (which is famous for visiting Pluto back in 2015), you could potentially reach Mars in as little as 39 days depending on the alignment of the planets and the 36,000 mph (58,000 kph) speed that New Horizons reached. Historically, spacecraft have taken anywhere between 128 days (Mariner 7 on a flyby) and 333 days (Viking 2 Orbiter/Lander, the second U.S. landing on Mars) .

Since no human has traveled to Mars yet, we don't have exact numbers on how fast it's possible to go – because remember, you need to slow down as you get closer to Mars. The best estimates are that human missions to Mars will be timed to take advantage of a good planetary alignment. Most estimates put the travel time in the range of 150-300 days – that's five to 10 months – and the average is usually around seven months , just like the Perseverance rover.

The two fastest travel times from Earth to Mars are for the Viking 6 and Viking 7 spacecraft, which took 155 and 128 days respectively . Both of these spacecraft were on flyby missions to image Mars, so they didn't need to slow down as they approached Mars as orbiters, landers and rovers need to do.

Frequently Answered Questions

Why can we only go to mars every 2 years.

Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article:

Want to travel to Mars? Here’s how long the trip could take.

Nuclear engines or not, you're gonna need a lot of PTO to get to the Red Planet.

By Eva Botkin-Kowacki | Published Feb 21, 2023 6:00 AM EST

Despite what Star Trek’s warp-speed journeys would have us believe, interplanetary travel is quite the hike. Take getting to Mars. Probes sent to the Red Planet by NASA and other space agencies spend about seven months in space before they arrive at their destination. A trip for humans would probably be longer—likely on the timescale of a few years. 

There are a lot of things that a human crew needs to survive that robots don’t, such as food, water, oxygen, and enough supplies for a return—the weight of which can slow down a spacecraft. With current technology, NASA calculations estimate a crewed mission to Mars and back, plus time on the surface , could take somewhere between two and three years. “Three years we know for sure is feasible,” says Michelle Rucker, who leads NASA’s Mars Architecture Team in the agency’s ​​ Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate .

But NASA aims to shorten that timeline, in part because it would make a Mars mission safer for humans—we still don’t know how well the human body can withstand the environment of space for an extended period. (The record for most consecutive days in space is 437.) The agency is investing in projects to develop new propulsion technologies that might enable more expeditious space travel. 

A crooked path to Mars

In a science-fictional world, a spacecraft would blast off Earth and head directly to Mars. That trajectory would certainly make for a speedier trip. But real space travel is a lot more complicated than going from point A to point B.

“If you had all the thrust you want, you could ignore the fact that there happens to be gravity in our universe and just plow all the way through the solar system,” says Mason Peck , a professor of astronautics at Cornell University who served as NASA’s chief technologist from 2011 to 2013. “But that’s not a scenario that’s possible right now.”

Such a direct trajectory has several challenges. As a spacecraft lifts off Earth, it needs to escape the planet’s gravitational pull, which requires quite a bit of thrust. Then, in space, the force of gravity from Earth, Mars, and the sun pulls the spacecraft in different directions. When it is far enough away, it will settle into orbit around the sun. Bucking that gravity requires fuel-intensive maneuvers.

[Related: Signs of past chemical reactions detected on Mars ]

The second challenge is that the planets do not stay in a fixed place. They orbit the sun, each at its own rate: Mars will not be at the same distance from Earth when the spacecraft launches as the Red Planet will be, say, seven months later. 

As such, the most fuel-efficient route to Mars follows an elliptical orbit around the sun, Peck says. Just one-way, that route covers hundreds of millions of miles and takes over half a year, at best. 

But designing a crewed mission to the Red Planet isn’t just about figuring out how fast a spacecraft can get there and back. It’s about “balance,” says Patrick Chai, in-space propulsion lead for NASA’s Mars Architecture Team . “There are a whole bunch of decisions we have to make in terms of how we optimize for certain things. Where do we trade performance for time?” Chai says. “If you just look at one single metric, you can end up making decisions that are really great for that particular metric, but can be problematic in other areas.”

One major trade-off for speed has to do with how much stuff is on board. With current technology, every maneuver to shorten the trip to Mars requires more fuel. 

If you drive a car, you know that in order to accelerate the vehicle, you step on the gas. The same is true in a spacecraft, except that braking and turning also use fuel. To slow down, for instance, a spacecraft fires its thrusters in the opposite direction to its forward motion.

But there are no gas stations in space. More fuel means more mass on board. And more mass requires more fuel to propel that extra mass through the air… and so on. Trimming a round-trip mission down to two years is when this trade-off starts to become exponentially less efficient, Rucker says. At least, that’s with current technology.

New tech to speed up the trip

NASA would like to be able to significantly reduce that timeline. In 2018, the space agency requested proposals for technological systems that could enable small, uncrewed missions to fly from Earth to Mars in 45 days or less . 

At the time, the proposals didn’t gain much traction. But the challenge inspired engineers to design innovative propulsion systems that don’t yet exist. And now, NASA has begun to fund the development of leading contenders. In particular, the space agency has its eye on nuclear propulsion.

Spacecraft currently rely largely on chemical propulsion. “You basically take an oxidizer and a fuel, combine them, and they combust, and that generates heat. You accelerate that heated product through a nozzle to generate thrust,” explains NASA’s Chai. 

Engineers have known for decades that a nuclear-based system could generate more thrust using a significantly smaller amount of fuel than a chemical rocket. They just haven’t built one yet—though that might be about to change.

One of NASA’s nuclear investment projects aims to integrate a nuclear thermal engine into an experimental spacecraft. The Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations , or DRACO, program, is a collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and aims to demonstrate the resulting technology as soon as 2027 .

[Related: Microbes could help us make rocket fuel on Mars ]

The speediest trip to Mars might come from another project, however. This concept, the brainchild of researchers at the University of Florida and supported by a NASA grant, seeks to achieve what Chai calls the “holy grail” of nuclear propulsion: a combination system that pairs nuclear thermal propulsion with an electric kind. 

“We did some preliminary analysis, and it seems like we can get pretty close to [45 days],” says the leader of that project, Ryan Gosse, a professor of practice in the University of Florida’s in-house applied research program, Florida Applied Research in Engineering (FLARE). One caveat: That timeline is for a light payload and no humans on board. However, if the project is successful, the technology could potentially be scaled up in the future to support a crewed mission.

There are two types of nuclear propulsion, and both have their merits. Nuclear thermal propulsion, which uses heat, can generate a lot of thrust quickly from a small amount of fuel. Nuclear electric propulsion, which uses charged particles, is even more fuel-efficient but generates thrust much more slowly.

“While you’re in deep space, the electric propulsion is really great because you have all the time in the world to thrust. The efficiency, the miles per gallon, is far, far superior than the high-thrust,” Chai says. “But when you’re around planets, you want that oomph to get you out of the gravity well.”

The challenge, however, is that both technologies currently require different types of nuclear reactors, says Gosse. And that means two separate systems, which reduces the efficiency of having a nuclear propulsion system. So Gosse and his team are working to develop technology that can use the one system to generate both types of propulsion.

NASA’s Mars architecture team is also working with a bimodal concept that uses a chemical propulsion system to maneuver around planets and solar-powered electric propulsion to do the thrusting in deep space.

“What we are developing is different tools for the toolbox,” says NASA’s Rucker. “One tool isn’t going to be enough to do all of the exploration that we want to do. So we’re working on all of these.”

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• How Long Would It Take To Travel To Mars?

Humanity has dreamed of travelling to Mars for decades. As of yet, the only place humans have set foot on (other than Earth) is the moon . The moon presented humanity with one of its greatest challenges, yet in 1969, NASA overcame the challenge when the astronauts of Apollo 11 set foot on the lunar surface. Ever since the Apollo Program ended, NASA has slowly been developing the technology required to send humans to Mars. One of the primary purposes of the International Space Station has been to study the long term effects of space travel on the human body. In order for humans to eventually travel to Mars, they will need to survive in space for extended periods of time, yet just how long would it take to travel to Mars?

Distance To Mars

Mars is the second closest planet to Earth after Venus , yet it is still very far away. On average, the distance between Mars and Earth is about 140 million miles (225 million kilometres). To traverse that distance would likely take several months to years depending on how fast of a rocket you have. However, the distance between Mars and Earth actually changes. Both Mars and Earth orbit the sun in ellipses, meaning the  distance between them and the sun changes during their orbits. When the Earth is at furthest point from the sun and Mars is at its closest approach, the two planets are at their closest distance. When Mars and Earth happen to align in just the right way, the distance between them can be 34 million miles (54.6 million kilometres). That is significantly lower than the average distance between the two planets, and so it would make sense to send humans to Mars when the two planets are at their closest approach to each other. Unfortunately, this alignment does not happen often. The closest distance between Earth and Mars ever recorded was in 2003, when the two planets came within 35 million miles (56 million kilometres) of each other. An event such as this will only occur every couple hundred years, with the next closest approach predicted to happen in the year 2237. 

Mars and Earth rarely lineup so that the distance between them is at its minimum, but astronomers still take advantage of the fact that, at some points in their orbits, Mars and Earth are much closer together than on average. Every 26 months, Mars and Earth line up in such a way that it is most efficient to send spacecraft to the Red Planet. This means that there is one launch window to Mars every 26 months. 

Speed Of A Rocket

The distance to Mars itself is not the only factor that will determine how long it takes to travel to Mars. The speed at which a spacecraft moves will also determine the length of the trip. Past missions to Mars have generally taken anywhere from 128 days to nearly one full year. With current technology and rocket designs, NASA estimates that the first rockets carrying humans to Mars will achieve speeds of about 24,600 miles per hour (39,600 kilometres per hour). Moving at these speeds, it would take approximately seven months to reach the surface of Mars.

What If You Went Faster?

Assuming the technology is advanced enough, how quickly could you reach Mars? Currently, the fastest human-made object is the Parker Solar Probe, which has achieved speeds of 364,660 miles per hour (586,860 kilometers kilometres per hour). Moving at this speed, it would take about two weeks to reach Mars while it’s at its average distance from Earth. Travelling to Mars within only two weeks would be astonishing, yet unfortunately it would not be possible with current technology. The Parker Solar Probe has been able to attain such extreme speeds by slingshotting itself around the sun multiple times. In the far future, if humanity ever develops the technology to travel near the speed of light , we could travel to Mars in less than five minutes. For now, the first astronauts to travel to Mars will have to wait several months in space before arriving at the Red Planet. 

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Universe Today

Space and astronomy news

How Long Does it Take to Get to Mars?

This article originally appeared in Universe Today in July, 2012, but it’s been updated with a related video.

The planet Mars is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, easily visible with the unaided eye as a bright red star. Every two years or so, Mars and Earth reach their closest point, called “opposition”, when Mars can be as close as 55,000,000 km from Earth. And every two years, space agencies take advantage of this orbital alignment to send spacecraft to the Red Planet. How long does it take to get to Mars?

The total journey time from Earth to Mars takes between 150-300 days depending on the speed of the launch, the alignment of Earth and Mars, and the length of the journey the spacecraft takes to reach its target. It really just depends on how much fuel you’re willing to burn to get there. More fuel, shorter travel time.

History of Going to Mars:

The first spacecraft ever to make the journey from Earth to Mars was NASA’s Mariner 4, which launched on November 28, 1964 and arrived at Mars July 14, 1965, successfully taking a series of 21 photographs. Mariner 4’s total flight time was 228 days.

The next successful mission to Mars was Mariner 6, which blasted off on February 25, 1969 and reached the planet on July 31, 1969; a flight time of only 156 days. The successful Mariner 7 only required 131 days to make the journey.

Mariner 9, the first spacecraft to successfully go into orbit around Mars launched on May 30, 1971, and arrived November 13, 1971 for a duration of 167 days. This is the same pattern that has held up for more almost 50 years of Mars exploration: approximately 150-300 days.

Here are some more examples:

• Viking 1 (1976) – 335 days
• Viking 2 (1976) – 360 days
• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (2006) – 210 days
• Phoenix Lander (2008) – 295 days
• Curiosity Lander (2012) – 253 days

Why Does it Take So Long?:

When you consider the fact that Mars is only 55 million km away, and the spacecraft are travelling in excess of 20,000 km/hour, you would expect the spacecraft to make the journey in about 115 days, but it takes much longer. This is because both Earth and Mars are orbiting around the Sun. You can’t point directly at Mars and start firing your rockets, because by the time you got there, Mars would have already moved. Instead, spacecraft launched from Earth need to be pointed at where Mars is going to be .

The other constraint is fuel. Again, if you had an unlimited amount of fuel, you’d point your spacecraft at Mars, fire your rockets to the halfway point of the journey, then turn around and decelerate for the last half of the journey. You could cut your travel time down to a fraction of the current rate – but you would need an impossible amount of fuel.

How to Get to Mars with the Least Amount of Fuel:

The primary concern of engineers is how to get a spacecraft to Mars, on the least amount of fuel. Robots don’t really care about the hostile environment of space, so it makes sense to decrease the launch costs of the rocket as much as possible.

NASA engineers use a method of travel called a Hohmann Transfer Orbit – or a Minimum Energy Transfer Orbit – to send a spacecraft from Earth to Mars with the least amount of fuel possible. The technique was first proposed by Walter Hohmann who published the first description of the maneuver in 1925.

Instead of pointing your rocket directly at Mars, you boost the orbit of your spacecraft so that it’s following a larger orbit around the Sun than the Earth. Eventually that orbit will intersect the orbit of Mars – at the exact moment that Mars is there too .

If you need to launch with less fuel, you just take longer to raise your orbit, and increase the journey to Mars.

Other Ideas to Decrease the Travel Time to Mars:

Although it requires some patience to wait for a spacecraft to travel 250 days to reach Mars, we might want a completely different propulsion method if we’re sending humans. Space is a hostile place, and the radiation of interplanetary space might pose a longterm health risk to human astronauts. The background cosmic rays inflict a constant barrage of cancer-inducing radiation, but there’s a bigger risk of massive solar storms, which could kill unprotected astronauts in a few hours. If you can decrease the travel time, you reduce the amount of time astronauts are getting pelted with radiation, and minimize the amount of supplies they need to carry for a return journey.

Go Nuclear: One idea is nuclear rockets , which heat up a working fluid – like hydrogen – to intense temperatures in a nuclear reactor, and then blast it out a rocket nozzle at high velocities to create thrust. Because nuclear fuels are far more energy dense than chemical rockets, you could get a higher thrust velocity with less fuel. It’s proposed that a nuclear rocket could decrease the travel time down to about 7 months

Go Magnetic: Another proposal is a technology called the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (or VASIMR). This is an electromagnetic thruster which uses radio waves to ionize and heat a propellant. This creates an ionized gas called plasma which can be magnetically thrust out the back of the spacecraft at high velocities. Former astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz is pioneering the development of this technology, and a prototype is expected to be installed on the International Space Station to help it maintain its altitude above Earth. In a mission to Mars, a VASIMR rocket could reduce the travel time down to 5 months.

Go Antimatter: Perhaps one of the most extreme proposals would be to use an antimatter rocket . Created in particle accelerators, antimatter is the most dense fuel you could possibly use. When atoms of matter meet atoms of antimatter, they transform into pure energy, as predicted by Albert Einstein’s famous equation: E = mc 2 . Just 10 milligrams of antimatter would be needed to propel a human mission to Mars in only 45 days. But then, producing even that minuscule amount of antimatter would cost about $250 million.

Future Missions to Mars:

Even though some incredible technologies have been proposed to shorten the travel time to Mars, engineers will be using the tried and true methods of following minimum energy transfer orbits using chemical rockets. NASA’s MAVEN mission will launch in 2013 using this technique, as well ESA’s ExoMars missions. It might be a few decades before other methods become common techniques.

Research further: Information about Interplanetary Orbits – NASA 7 Minutes of Terror – The Challenge of Landing at Mars NASA Proposal for a nuclear rocket engine Hohmann Transfer Orbits – Iowa State University Minimum Transfers and Interplanetary Orbits New and Improved Antimatter Space Ship for Mars Missions – NASA Astronomy Cast Episode 84: Getting Around the Solar System

Related Stories from Universe Today: Travel to Mars in Only 39 Days A One Way, One Person Mission to Mars Could a Human Mission to Mars be Funded Commercially? How Will MSL Navigate to Mars? Very Carefully A Cheap Solution to Getting to Mars? Why have so many missions to Mars failed?

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2 Replies to “How Long Does it Take to Get to Mars?”

WOW thats CRAZY:)

214 days of exposure to high levels of radiation – how would a crew be shielded?

Comments are closed.

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How long does it take to get to Mars?

How long would it take to drive or walk to Mars, and how long does it take actual space missions?

Jenny Winder

How long to get to Mars?

If you could jump in a car and travel at 161 kph (100 mph), it would take about 14,583 days or 40 years to reach Mars, but if you wanted some exercise, you could walk (at 6kph or 3.7 mph) and get there in 1,065 years!

Earth and Mars travel around the Sun at different speeds and distances, so the distance between us varies considerably.

Yet a day on Mars is remarkably similar to a day on Earth.

At our furthest distance, we are on opposite sides of the Sun (called a solar conjunction) when we are about 401 million km (249 million miles) apart.

The average distance between Earth and Mars is 225 million km (140 million miles)

The two planets are closest when we are both on the same side of the Sun (called opposition ) at about 56 million km (34.7 million miles) apart. This happens every two years and is our launch window to the Red Planet.

The first successful mission to Mars, Viking 1, launched on 20 August 1975 and landed on Mars on 19 June 1976, ten months later.

The rovers Spirit and Opportunity took just 6 months to reach Mars in 2003 and 2004.

The Curiosity rover launched on 26 November 2011 and landed on Mars on 5 August 2012.

Perseverance rover launched on 30 July 2020 and landed on Mars on 18 February 2021.

Various space agencies are working towards a crewed mission to Mars.

NASA is working towards a 9-month journey, while SpaceX hopes to cut the trip to 6 months.

The time it takes to get from Earth to Mars is mainly dependent on the propulsion method used.

A photon propulsion system is currently in development that would use a powerful laser to accelerate spacecraft to near the speed of light , cutting the journey to just three days!

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How long does it take to get to Mars, and how far is it? Nasa Perseverance rover’s landing mission explained

It took around seven months for nasa's perseverance rover to reach the red planet.

Nasa’s Perseverance rover has landed safely on Mars, starting a new mission to look for signs of ancient life.

The rover left Earth at the end of July last year, and after a tense few moments ahead of landing, it confirmed its successful arrival.

But just how far away is Mars and how long does it take it get there?

How far away is Mars?

The distance between Earth and Mars is not always the same, as both planets are on constant orbits around the Sun.

The Nasa Perseverance travelled around 293 million miles (471 million kilometers) to get to Mars.

According to Nasa , the closest the two planets can theoretically be to each other is 33.9 million miles (54.6 million kilometers).

The closest recorded distance to Mars was in 2003 when Mars was recorded as 34.8 million miles (56 million km) – but the next time they are expected to come this close is the year 2287.

The last Mars “close approach” was in October 2020, when Mars was 38.6 million miles (62.07 million kilometers) from Earth.

Close approaches, which happen around every 26 months, are a good time to plan missions to Mars, Nasa said, as Earth and Mars are closest together on their orbits.

The furthest the two planets can be from each other is around 250 million miles (401 million km) apart.

How long does it take to get to Mars?

The time it takes to get to Mars varies, as of course, it’s not a staightforward journey.

It took the Perseverance around 7 months to get to Mars.

Past missions to Mars, including flybys, have varied in time, taking between 128 days and around 330 days to make the journey.

According to Space.com , travelling at the speed of light, (186,282 miles per second/299,792 km per second) it would take a minimum of just over three minutes to reach Mars.

On average, a light shined on to the red planet’s surface would take around 12 and a half minutes to reach it’s destination.

How did the Nasa Perserverance rover landed on the red planet?

Nasa’s Mars Perseverance rover launched on July 30, 2020, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida in the US.

It travelled for around seven months before landing safely on the surface of the red planet on February 18, 2021 just before 9pm (GMT).

Confirmation of the safe landing took more than 11 minutes to reach Earth and was met by jubilation from Nasa scientists, after a few tense minutes.

I’m safe on Mars. Perseverance will get you anywhere. #CountdownToMars — NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) February 18, 2021

Steve Jurczyk, Nasa’s acting administrator, said: “It’s amazing to have Perseverance join Curiosity on Mars and what a credit to the team.

“Just what an amazing team to work through all the adversity and all the challenges that go with landing a rover on Mars, plus the challenges of Covid.

“And just an amazing accomplishment.”

The rover has since sent back pictures of the planet’s rocky surface, and more footage is expected from the robot soon.

The mission’s goal is to search for signs of ancient life and collect samples for a future return to Earth from diverse environments on Mars.

Perseverance will gather rock and soil samples using its drill, and will store the sample cores in tubes on the Martian surface ready for a return mission to bring around 30 samples to Earth in the early 2030s.

It will also include testing out new technologies and try out the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.

Additional reporting by PA.

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Mars remains our horizon goal for human exploration because it is one of the only other places we know where life may have existed in the solar system. What we learn about the Red Planet will tell us more about our Earth’s past and future, and may help answer whether life exists beyond our home planet. Like the Moon, Mars is a rich destination for scientific discovery and a driver of technologies that will enable humans to travel and explore far from Earth.

33 million to 249 million miles from Earth (always changing)

Miles(roundtrip)

-284 degrees F to 86 degrees F

Six Technologies to Get Humans to Mars

NASA is advancing many technologies to send astronauts to Mars as early as the 2030s. Here are six things we are working on right now to make future human missions to the Red Planet possible.

Preparing for Mars

Engineers and scientists around the country are working to develop the technologies astronauts will use to one day live and work on Mars and safely return home to Earth.

Quick Facts

Periodic dust storms on Mars can last for months, making nuclear fission power a more reliable option than solar power. 

Temperatures on Mars can range from -284 degrees F to 86 degrees F. The atmosphere on Mars is 96% carbon dioxide.

One day on Mars lasts about 37 minutes longer than an Earth day. A year on Mars is almost twice as long as a year on Earth.

Gravity on Mars is about one-third of the gravity on Earth. If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 38 pounds on Mars.

Mars has two moons: Phobos and Deimos. Phobos is 13.8 miles across, and Deimos is 7.8 miles across.

Getting There and Back

When astronauts travel to Mars and back, their vehicle will return home with more than a billion miles on its odometer — more than a thousand times the distance that Artemis I traveled.

Living and Working on Mars

The Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE, is helping NASA prepare for human exploration of Mars by demonstrating the technology to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere for burning fuel and breathing.

Astronauts on a roundtrip mission to Mars will not have the resupply missions to deliver fresh food. NASA is researching food systems to ensure quality, variety, and nutritional values for these long missions. Plant growth on the International Space Station is helping to inform in-space crop management as well.

NASA is developing life support systems that can regenerate or recycle consumables such as food, air, and water and is testing them on the International Space Station.

Like we use electricity to charge our devices on Earth, astronauts will need a reliable power supply to explore Mars. The system will need to be lightweight and capable of running regardless of its location or the weather on the Red Planet. NASA is investigating options for power systems, including fission surface power.

Spacesuits are like “personal spaceships” for astronauts, protecting them from harsh environments and providing all the air, water, biometric monitoring controls, and communications needed during excursions outside their spaceship or habitat.

Communications

Human missions to Mars may use lasers to stay in touch with Earth. A laser communications system at Mars could send large amounts of real-time information and data, including high-definition images and video feeds.

An astronaut's primary shelter on Mars could be a fixed habitat on the surface or a mobile habitat on wheels. In either form, the habitat must provide the same amenities as a home on Earth — with the addition of a pressurized volume and robust water recycling system.

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The Planets

How long would it take to get to Mars?

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. It sits between Jupiter and Earth. In identifying how long it would take to reach this planet, you should also think about what would happen when you got there. Mars is a rocky, terrestrial planet like Earth, and we have already landed a few unmanned exploration missions.

One of the most exciting space exploration projects in recent years has been the journey to Mars. In our lifetime, it will be possible for human beings to visit the red planet, and if you’re interested in going, you’ve probably wondered how long it would take to get to Mars. The answer to this question depends on a number of factors, such as the route you take to get there, and the timing of launch with planetary alignment.

In this article, we’ll look at Mars and why it takes as long as it does to reach the planet.

Mars – Quick Facts

• Distance From The Sun: 227,940,000 km (141,635,349 mi)
• Radius: 3,400 km (2,113 mi)
• Temperature: -153 to 20 °C ( -225 to 70 °F)
• Day Length: 24.6 Earth days
• Year Length: 687 Earth days
• Number of Moons: 2
• Closest Distance to Earth: – 54.6 million km
• Furthest distance to Earth: – 401 million km
• Next Launch Window For Quickest Transit: – September 2022

How far is Earth from Mars?

The closest that Earth and Mars approach each other is when Mars is at its closest position to the sun ( perihelion ) and Earth is at its farthest ( aphelion ). When this happens, the planets can reach as close as 54.6 million km apart. However, such a close approach is so rare, that it has never been recorded or observed in the entire history of the human race. There are a number of factors responsible for this, including the planet’s elliptical and slightly tilted orbits, and gravitational influences from other Planets .

In 2003 we were lucky enough to have witnessed the closest approach between Mars and the Earth in 60,000 years, according to NASA. On this approach, the planets were only 56 million km apart. It will be over 250 years until the planets are that close again, in 2287!

The two planets are at their farthest distance from each other when they are both at their farthest from the sun ( aphelion ), and on opposite sides of the sun. At this point, they can be 401 million km apart. The average distance between Mars and Earth is 225 million km.

How Long Would it Take to Get to Mars?

The time it takes to travel to Mars depends on a number of things. The first is distance. For every launch there is a window of time which offers the most economical and efficient journey time. A launch window takes into account many factors including the timing of the the planets closest approach, the type of propulsion/ rocket system used, mission objectives and also the weather.

In terms of mission objectives, if you plan on stopping at Mars, the flight time will be significantly different to if the mission is simply to conduct a fly-by. For instance the Mariner 7 mission flew past Mars in the late 60’s in an incredible 128 day journey time!

Journey time to Mars would depend on the distance between the Planets at the time of the launch, but also require that the orbit speed and direction are taken into account to choose the most efficient path. As well as the efficiency requirements of fuel, mass of the space craft, speed of craft and whether the craft is manned or unmanned.

It would be uneconomical to launch at the same time that the Planets were in closest approach, as the distance between the Planets would be growing each day, increasing the flight time and the fuel requirements for the trip.

What is the Shortest Trip?

The shortest trip to Mars so far, was a fly-by of the Mariner 7 mission in 1969. The shortest orbital mission was two years later in 1971 with the Mariner 9 orbital mission. The quickest mission for putting a lander on Mars was MER Opportunity Rover mission in 2003 which had a flight time of 201 days.

How Often Does The Closest Approach Occur?

The Close approach between Mars and the Earth happens roughly every 26 months. As we have discussed elsewhere above though, not all close approaches are the same. They can occur a few days either side of opposition, and the closest distance on each occurrence will also differ.

Missions To Mars

Mars is a close neighbor, and given it’s rocky, earth-like terrain it is one of our best chances of finding life elsewhere in the Solar System. As such, there have already been many missions to Mars. From the first early probes and fly-by’s to the latest rovers testing out new technologies and collecting samples. Here are a selection of mars missions with their flight times:

• Mariner 3 was lost during launch
• Mariner 8 lost during launch
• Mars Observer lost prior to entering Mars orbit
• Mars Climate Orbiter lost on arrival at Mars
• Mars Polar Lander lost on arrival at Mars

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Wonder of the Day #215

How Long Would It Take To Fly To Mars?

SCIENCE — Earth and Space

Have You Ever Wondered...

• How long would it take to fly to Mars?
• How far away is Mars from Earth?
• What challenges does a manned mission to Mars present?
• atmosphere ,
• conjunction ,
• exploration ,
• opposition ,
• Outerspace ,
• Atmosphere ,
• Conjunction ,
• Exploration ,
• Opposition ,

Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Elliott from West Des Moines, IA. Elliott Wonders , “ How many days does it take to get to Mars from Earth? ” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Elliott!

Are we there yet? That's the question that makes parents cringe during a trip . If you've ever driven to another state for a vacation, you know that long trips in the car can get a bit boring. After a few hours, you just want to be there already!

If you're bored by long trips, though, you might not want to be an astronaut . Traveling to outer space requires much more patience than your average trip to the beach.

The United States has sent astronauts to the moon and into orbit around Earth. Many space enthusiasts dream of the day when there will be a manned mission to the “Red Planet " of Mars.

Earth is sometimes referred to as the “third rock from the Sun ," which would make Mars the fourth rock from the Sun. Even though it's the next planet over, it's still a long way away.

Like Earth, Mars revolves around the Sun, although on a different path than Earth does. Every 26 months, Mars reaches a point at which it's as close as it ever gets to Earth. This point is called opposition and, at opposition , Mars is between 34.6 and 63 million miles away, depending on what year it is.

Thirteen months after opposition , Mars reaches conjunction , which means Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun and as far away from each other as they can get. At conjunction , Mars is almost 250 million miles from Earth.

Obviously, if you want to travel to Mars, it would be best to do so at the point of opposition , when Mars is “only" 35-63 million miles away. That is why rocket scientists time their unmanned missions to Mars to coincide with opposition windows every 26 months. The most recent opposition window was in May 2016 and the next one will be in 2018.

If you dream of one day being an astronaut on the first manned flight to Mars, be prepared for a long trip . Scientists estimate a trip to Mars and back would take 400-450 days. Would you be willing to spend over a year in a spacecraft just to get to Mars and back? You could be saying “Are we there yet?" for months on end! Plus, what would you pack ?

Besides the long trip , a manned mission to Mars presents many other difficulties. Scientists worry about astronauts being exposed to cosmic rays and other radiation during the long trip . They also are concerned about the physical effects astronauts would experience from prolonged exposure to a low-gravity, low-light environment.

Maybe the factor hardest to predict, though, is the psychological effect astronauts might suffer as a result of isolation from Earth. No one is really sure what mental stress would be caused due to lack of contact with the friends and family the astronauts leave behind.

Other barriers to such a manned mission to Mars include fuel for such a long trip , as well as oxygen, water, and food for astronauts on such an extended mission. Unfortunately, Mars has a very thin atmosphere that would not normally support human life .

Despite these difficulties, countries around the world are planning for future manned missions to Mars. In 2004, the U.S. identified a manned Mars mission as a long-term goal. In 2007, NASA stated that it hopes to put a man on Mars by 2037.

Are you up for a future mission to Mars? You never know what technology will be developed between now and then. Some scientists believe that advanced engines powered by nuclear energy could shorten the trip to Mars to only 39 days. Can you imagine how fast that spaceship would be traveling?

Wonder What's Next?

There’s nothing better than a steaming hot plate of green eggs and ham. Tomorrow's Wonder of the Day is a recipe for rhyme!

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? Thanks to NASA, Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity have sent us some incredible photographs over the years. 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? Make a pro/con list for a possible trip to Mars. Pro/con lists set forth the positive aspects (the pros) and the negative aspects (the cons) of a potential decision. What would excite you about a trip to Mars? What would worry you about such a trip? Leaving friends and family behind? When you have your pro/con list finished, weigh the positive aspects against the negative aspects. 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?

Wonder Sources

• http://www.spaceday.org/index.php/About-Us.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_mission_to_Mars
• http://www.universetoday.com/45007/how-far-is-mars-from-the-earth/
• http://www.universetoday.com/42167/trips-to-mars-in-39-days/

Did you get it?

Wonder contributors.

We’d like to thank:

Pat , Mohamed , Arshan , Mary from IN and cole from IN for contributing questions about today’s Wonder topic!

Keep WONDERing with us!

Wonder Words

• psychological
• conjunction

NASA is all about exploration and finding things no one else has! Maybe you can go to your local library or look online to find out more about NASA. Let us know if you find anything interesting on your Wonder Journey!

Hi, james b! Have you seen  Wonder 890: Who Was the First Person in Space?

We're so glad that you like this Wonder, Nicholas B!  Wonder 890: Who Was the First Person in Space? has some information about Apollo 11!

We're so happy to have you WONDERing with us, Mj!

Wow, sounds like you've really researched this topic!! Thanks for the information, dan!

i would not go to mars put now i know about mars

That's right, sarah.m! That's a long time!!! Would you want to go to Mars?

I would go to mars!

HI, sarah!! Thanks for WONDERing with us!

Cool!  Thanks for sharing that, Chris!  Glad to have you WONDERing with us!

Because it's there?  That's the best we can figure, Nayan.  Good question! 

Hunter Griggs

Because Elliot from Des Moines was WONDERing about it! Do you have a Wonder you would like to submit to our Wonder Bank ?

Thank you for commenting, Riley! There's so much information available these days that it can be hard to process everything! Coupled with discoveries in science happening all the time, it's difficult to know what to believe! Our best advice is to read as much as you can and be open-minded to learning new things. :)

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What's up Mable!

We're glad you found someone you know, Ewan! It's always fun WONDERing with friends and family! :)

animallover1000

Hi, Wonder Friend! We love animals, too! It's GREAT you're learning so much about them! We hope you keep WONDERing and use the search feature to find more Wonders, especially about animals and ghosts! :)

Hello there, sperklles! We sure are glad you are WONDERing! :)

Thanks for joining the conversation about Mars, brian! Scientists aren't quite living on Mars yet, but definitely making progress! :)

That's right, Hope! While scientists have made lots of progress towards traveling to Mars, they are not quite ready yet. Maybe the next opposition in 26 months! We encourage you to keep researching about their progress towards traveling to Mars! :)

Hey there, Shelby! Thanks for stopping at Wonderopolis! :)

Thanks for sharing that fact, Innocence! That is a long time! :)

Hi, Gautham! Maybe in the future! Many astronauts are currently working towards making a mission to mars! :)

Yes, it does, Mike! It's quite the journey! Thanks for WONDERing with us! :)

That's GREAT, Diego! We couldn't believe how long it would take! :)

Hi, joaquin! We're THRILLED you're WONDERing with us! We're glad you stopped by! :)

i think it only takes about a year or two

Thanks for joining the conversation, Ava! We know from WONDERing that some believe technology can get the trip down to 39 days! Wow! :)

Thanks for sharing, joaquin! That would be a long time traveling in space! :)

Hey there, aidan! We hope this Wonder gave you more information! Also, keep WONDERing at your library and online! :)

We're glad you liked this Wonder, Quinton! We love your enthusiasm about WONDERing and learning! :)

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Hi, stephen! We're glad you had fun exploring this Wonder! Thanks for WONDERing with us! :)

Hey, camille! We're THRILLED you're WONDERing with us! We hope you had fun exploring this Wonder! :)

Hello, monica! We aren't sure, but with technology always advancing it will be interesting to find out! :)

I'm glad it won't take a light year,that is about 5.9 trillion miles!

Good point, stephen! That would definitely be a long time! :)

Hi, Noah! Probably even longer than that! A long time! :)

That is what Google said it will take 206 days

Interesting! Sometimes scientists have different predictions. Maybe we will find out one day in the future! :)

Thanks for joining the discussion, stephen! While that sounds nice, it wouldn't be as fun to do experiments and research to learn new things! :)

I wish almost every hypothosis would be correct.

Hello, WONDER friend! We don't currently have a WONDER about Pokemon. However, you can submit your WONDER question to our Wonder Bank . Thanks for WONDERing with us! :)

Wonderopolis

Great observation, Wonder Friend! Thanks for WONDERing with us today! :)

Awesome question, Anna! We are everywhere - even in your imagination - through the power of the Internet! :)

Hi Anna, you're doing a great job of WONDERing with us. Perhaps you can help astronauts travel to Mars by working on the NASA team in the control station! They help guide the astronauts when they are in space! There are lots of Wonder Friends who enjoy reading and replying to comments. We all take turns! :)

That's WONDERful news, thanks for visiting us today, Scientist Kim! :)

Hey Kim, we love your creativity and use of imagination about a trip to Mars! You make a great point-- you'd have to be prepared for the long journey to Mars (bring enough food, water and books to read)! It sounds like you might enjoy our Wonder about technology, too: Wonder #710-- How Does Technology Change Lives? https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-does-technology-change-lives/ :)

myrtez watkins

You're quite right, Myrtez, it would take more than 260 days! Check out the excerpt below for more information: "If you dream of one day being an astronaut on the first manned flight to Mars, be prepared for a long trip. Scientists estimate a round-trip to Mars and back would take 400 to 450 days. Would you be willing to spend more than a year in a spacecraft just to get to Mars and back? You could be saying “Are we there yet?” for months on end! Plus, what would you pack?" :)

We think it's awesome that you want to travel to Mars, Wonder Friend Nate! Since it can take a while to get to Mars, it's a good idea to bring some things to keep you busy! Don't forget, you can star gaze from your spaceship, too! We are so glad you're using your imagination, Nate! NICE WORK! :)

We think it's cool that you're WONDERing with us today, Cole! Thanks for sharing your comment... we hope you learned about something new with us! :)

Tyler Jarvis

Tyler, you've made us smile again today! We come from a place called Wonderopolis-- it's a magical place full of wonder, laughter and fun! We hope you'll visit us again! :)

WOW, we're not sure about the exact damage, Sydney, but we Wonder if you can do some research of your own to find out? We'd love to hear about what you find! Keep up the great WONDERing! :)

WOW, thanks for sharing your comment today, Ed! We think traveling to space sounds like a WONDERful adventure! We like your enthusiasm and we're happy you WONDERed with us today, Ed! :)

We think it would be a super fun adventure, too, Walter! We also think it's neat that you are a submarine sailor! That must be a really WONDERful and exciting profession! Thank you so much for sharing your comment with us today! :-)

We agree with you, Jazmine! It would take some patience to fly to Mars! Thanks so much for sharing your comment with us today! :-)

Hello, Annalisa! Thank you so much for your comment today! We really appreciate that you visited Wonderopolis and explored this Wonder of the Day® about how long it would take to fly to Mars! :-)

What a super sweet thing to say, Kailee! That IS a really long time to leave your family. If we went on a year-long trip to Mars, we would miss all of our Wonder Friends (like YOU), too! :-)

Hi, Jonathan! Scientists believe a round trip to Mars and back would actually take a little over a year (400 to 450 days). We think that would be a super LONG trip to make, don't you? What would YOU do if you could take a trip to Mars? :-)

You're right, David! Do you think you would like to take a trip that lasted over a year? We think it would be cool if we could look outside the window and see all the awesome things in space! :-)

Duane Bolin

Thanks for sharing another AWESOME link to help us WONDER about Mars a little more, Duane! :-)

Those are very cool images, Duane! Mars looks like a rocky, sandy red desert! Thank you so much for sharing them with everyone! :-)

You're right, Emma! But, we think it would be a FUN trip seeing all the cool stuff in space as you pass by! Thanks for "flying by" Wonderopolis today! :-)

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Question 1 of 3

Earth and Mars never get closer than how many miles apart?

• a 250 million miles Not Quite!
• b 35 billion miles Not Quite!
• c 34.6 million miles Correct!
• d 346 million miles Not Quite!

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When is the best time to travel to Mars?

• a at the point of position Not Quite!
• b at the point of opposition Correct!
• c at the point of no return Not Quite!
• d never Not Quite!

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Some scientists believe that this could shorten the trip to Mars to only 39 days.

• a hyper drive Not Quite!
• b warp drive Not Quite!
• c nuclear power Correct!
• d FTL jump drive Not Quite!

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How long does it take to get to Mars?

Last Updated: December 13, 2022

If you’ve ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what it would be like to visit Mars, you’re not alone. Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has long been the subject of human curiosity and exploration.

For centuries, humans have been fascinated by the red planet, and with recent advances in space technology, the dream of traveling to Mars is closer than ever. But just how long does it take to get there?

The answer, of course, is not a simple one. There are many factors that can affect the duration of a journey to Mars, including the trajectory of the spacecraft, the speed of the spacecraft, and the position of Mars in its orbit around the Sun.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these factors and provide some examples of past and future missions to Mars to give you a sense of the range of possible travel times.

Going to Mars, Facts to Consider

Mars, the Earth, and all the others planets are constantly revolving around the Sun. This means that their position is always different. For example, Earth moves around the Sun at a speed of 18 miles / 30 kilometers per second.

When we look at Mars, it moves with a speed of 14.3 miles / 23.3 kilometers per second around the Sun. Before starting a trip to mars, astronomers have to calculate the best position to launch a spacecraft toward it. 

This means that they need to estimate at what point in time will the Red Giant be and in what direction the spacecraft will be launched. You also have to consider that you can’t launch a spacecraft at any point in time to reach Mars at an exact timeframe. You have to consider the position of both planets beforehand. 

Take this into consideration. Mars is at an average distance of 140 million miles / 225 million kilometers away from Earth. In 2003, our planets reached their closest point (perihelion) at a distance of only 33.9 million mi / 54.6 million km. However, this approach doesn’t happen every month. It occurs every two years or so. The aphelion or farthest distance between Mars and Earth is at 250 million mi / 401 million km.

Related reading: How Far Away is Mars From Earth Right Now?

You can imagine all the different necessary calculations and estimations that astronomers must go through when preparing for a trip to Mars. Not to mention that you also need to take into account that if you reach Mars, you will also need to stay for several months there until the planets are in the perfect position to maximize your fuel efficiency. 

Some predictions for a human-crewed mission to Mars and back to Earth are situated at the 21-month mark. But it may take more or less depending on the technology involved. You also need to consider all the possible delays or unexpected issues.

The Necessary Speed to Reach Mars

The Apollo 11 mission to the Moon reached an incredible top speed of 25,000 mph to reach the Moon in four days. If you were to go to Mars with the same technology, you would reach it in two and a half months. Yet, you must consider that maintaining this speed for so long is impossible. Not to mention the amount of fuel you would need, which implies a more massive spacecraft to store it, and since the spacecraft size will be different, other factors will affect your speed and fuel consumption.

Currently, the fastest spacecraft we have is NASA’s Parker Solar Probe . In 2021, the Parker Solar Probe reached a top speed of 364,621 mph / 586,000 kph. This is 14.5 times faster than the Apollo 11 spacecraft’s top speed.

If the Parker Solar Probe would be sent to Mars, it may reach it in 16 days. If we were to imagine a straight line between the probe and the Red Planet, and if the probe would be launched at the closest encounter between our two planets, it may reach it in 93 hours or so. However, this isn’t the case when it comes to space travel. Not to mention the issue mentioned earlier, the fact that planets aren’t static, and thus there is no constant distance. 

Astronomers have to predict where a planet will be once they launch a spacecraft. How long it takes to get to Mars depends mostly on where the Red Giant and our planet are situated, when the spacecraft is launched, and what propulsion systems are used. 

According to NASA , a mission to Mars would take around nine months if you begin your trip when the planets are properly lined up. The perfect window to get to Mars from Earth occurs once every 26 months. If we develop better ways to burn up fuel, we could reach Mars even faster, but our current technology is still very limiting.

Related Article: How Much of Space Have We Explored So Far?

Flight time of past missions to Mars

In the history of space exploration, there have been many missions to Mars, some successful and others not. As I mentioned in the intro, Mars has been the subject of interest for scientists for a long time. Especially when it comes to the prospect of finding signs of life on another planet.

Regardless of their different goals, the one thing that all of these missions have in common is that they all took a significant amount of time to reach the red planet. In this section, we’ll take a closer look at the flight times of some of the past missions to Mars and see how they compare to each other.

• Mariner 4 (1964) had a flight time of 228 days.
• Mariner 6 (1969) got to the red planet in 156 days.
• Mariner 7 (1969) got to Mars in 128 days.
• Mariner 9 (1971) reached the red planet in 167 days.
• Viking 1 (1976) took on an 11-month cruise to Mars.
• Viking 2 (1976) had a flight time of 360 days.
• Mars Odyssey (2001) reached the dusty planet in about 200 days.
• Mars Express (2003) completed its journey in around 6 months.
• Opportunity Rover (2003) landed on Marse after 201 days spent in space.
• Spirit (2003) touched down in Gusev crater after traveling for 179 days.
• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (2005) took 210 days to reach its destination.
• Phoenix (2007) completed its travel to Mars in  295 days
• Curiosity (2011) touched down on the martian surface after a trip lasting 253 days.
• MAVEN (2013) entered the martian orbit after a 10-month trip.
• Insight (2018) reached Mars in 206 days.
• Perseverance, the latest rover to make it to Marse, did the trip Earth-Mars in 204 days.

Future Missions to Mars

Technology always evolves, and astronomers are always looking for new ways to conduct space missions and shorten their flights. NASA already works on something new that may help Mars missions. 

The Space Launch System (SLS) is under construction and will conduct various tests that will help upcoming Missions to Mars, perhaps even manned missions. One of the first SLS rockets being designed for future Mars and Moon missions is the Artemis 1.

Artemis 1 just recently completed a near-flawless mission to the Moon and broke Apollo 13’s flight distance record. It is currently the most powerful rocket ever built. The future Artemis missions to the Moon will help establish new technologies and strategies to reach Mars. 

With our current technology, we need more field tests in order to be sure of what is to come. However, the successful mission of Artemis 1 proves once again that mankind’s determination is unyielding. Through Artemis 2 , we might have a new crew land on the Moon as soon as 2024 or 2025. Any successful mission on the Moon brings us closer to planetary missions, and the good news is that nowadays there are more space companies willing to do the job than ever before!

Reaching Mars at the Speed of Light

If you were to go to Mars using the speed of light , you would reach it in about three minutes at their closest possible approach. The speed of light is around 186,000 mi / 300,000 km per second. Reaching the speed of light is a goal for any interplanetary mission. However, it is unknown if humans can travel at such speed without consequences or if it is possible to reach this speed at all.

Between the first moon landing and the commercialization of spaceships are only 50 years of rapid development. The impending collaborations of multinational associations like NASA, Roscosmos, CSA, and private companies are set to be game changers for humanity. The upcoming decade promises entirely new opportunities, from Moon settlements and out-worldly discoveries to breathtaking experiences accessible for tourists and businessmen alike. 

Written by Hrenciuc Daniel

Hello, my name is Daniel and I am a space enthusiast. I love everything related to space and SCFI, and although I like both Star Wars and Star Trek, I believe we will find something entirely different out there. I am an astronomy writer with a passion for both history and mythology. Each star has its tale. Let me tell you their story!

Explore more space travel stories 🚀

This page is part of our collection of articles about astronauts . If you enjoyed the read, then you’ll love the following articles.

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SpaceX: Here’s the Timeline for Getting to Mars and Starting a Colony

SpaceX is aiming for a much faster timeframe, with a series of 10 launches to start a city by 2050. Here’s how it looks.

Elon Musk has a grand plan for getting humanity out of the confines of Earth, setting off to the moon, Mars, and even further reaches of the solar system. Musk has regularly estimated that humans could establish a city on Mars as early as 2050.

As CEO of SpaceX, he has led the development of the Starship. The rocket is designed to refuel and relaunch using liquid hydrogen and methane, unlike the rocket propellant used in the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. That means astronauts will be able to set up refueling depots around the solar system, hopping from planet to planet. Still under development, the Starship could see its first commercial flight as early as 2021 .

Many plans for a Mars settlement expect a community in matters of decades. The United Arab Emirates aims for a city of 600,000 by 2117. Astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell told Inverse in October that “while the first human mission to land on Mars will likely take place in the next two decades, it will probably be more like 50-100 years before substantial numbers of people have moved to Mars to live in self-sustaining towns.”

SpaceX is aiming for a much, much faster timeframe, with a series of 10 launches to start a city by 2050. Here’s how it looks:

SpaceX’s Mars Plan: 2019

The company is set to hold the first “hop tests” for its Mars-bound Starship this year, seeing if the rocket can jump a few hundred kilometers. SpaceX has been developing a test facility in Boca Chica, Texas, shipping over 300,000 cubic yards of locally-sourced soil. In July 2018, the firm took shipment of a 95,000-gallon liquid oxygen tank, around the same capacity as 20 tanker trucks. It’s also completed a 600-kilowatt solar array and two ground station antennas that may also prove useful for Crew Dragon missions. In October 2018, it took shipment of the final major ground tank system to support the initial flights.

CEO Elon Musk previously described these tests as “fly out, turn around, accelerate back real hard and come in hot to test the heat shield because we want to have a highly reusable heat shield that’s capable of absorbing the heat from interplanetary entry velocities.” The tests were originally set to take place in the first few weeks of 2019, but a storm blew over the “hopper” test vehicle.

The firm completed its first hop test firing in April, reaching a few centimeters off the ground. More are expected later this year.

SpaceX's final Starship Hopper

Assuming all goes well, it’s onto the next stage. In January, Musk claimed that the first orbital Starship prototype may arrive as early as June, which could help accelerate testing and move select plans to an earlier stage of the schedule.

SpaceX’s Mars Plan: 2020

As the United States holds its next presidential election, SpaceX will be working on the next stage of Starship tests. This year’s tests cover the booster, as well as high altitude, high-velocity flights. The team is expected to conduct a number of test flights before actually placing anyone on board. An orbital Starship could make its flight debut at this time.

SpaceX’s Mars Plan: 2021

The Starship is set to embark on its first commercial flight. Jonathan Hofeller, SpaceX vice president of commercial sales, revealed at a conference in Indonesia that the plan is to host the first flight around this time.

The Starship’s first voyage could see it send a commercial satellite into space for one of three telecoms firms. That sounds like a job for the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, but if all goes well it could prove the Starship’s viability for future missions and help fund its further development.

“You could potentially recapture a satellite and bring it down if you wanted to,” Hofeller said. “It’s very similar to the [space] shuttle bay in that regard. So we have this tool, and we are challenging the industry: what would you do with it?”

SpaceX’s Mars Plan: 2022

This could be the first year that SpaceX reaches Mars. At the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia, in September 2017, Musk suggested this year as the point at which at least two unmanned ships could make their way to Mars. The two planets will be at an ideal point to send a rocket in 2022, a phenomenon that occurs roughly every two years.

SpaceX previously released concept art of the Starship on its way to distant planets, based around the older design rather than the more recent stainless steel iteration pictured above:

The Starship.

“I feel fairly confident that we can complete the ship and prepare the ship for launch in about five years,” he said. “Five years feels like a long time to me.”

The ships would place power, mining and life support infrastructure for future flights. They would also confirm water resources and identify hazards. Each ship would carry around 100 tons of supplies.

However, in February, Musk suggested that SpaceX has more pressing missions:

SpaceX’s Mars Plan: 2023

This is the year when SpaceX is expected to send Japanese billionaire Yukazu Maezawa , alongside six to eight artists, on a trip around the moon using the Starship. While not specifically a Mars-focused mission, its success would bode well for a future manned mission. Based on Musk’s February comments, this could be the first major mission for the Starship.

The path that Starship will take when on the Lunar Mission.

SpaceX’s Mars Plan: 2024

It’s time for another election for president of the United States. It’s also the next time that the Earth and Mars are suitably aligned to send a rocket.

There’s a high chance that, based on Musk’s previous comments, SpaceX will not send two cargo ships to Mars in 2022 as previously suggested. If this prediction holds true, this will be the next ideal moment that SpaceX can send the cargo ships and lay the groundwork for a further mission.

If SpaceX has sent the two cargo ships by this stage, the next step will be the manned mission. The plan is to send two cargo ships, alongside two crew ships taking the first people to Mars. They will be tasked with setting up a propellant production plant, combining Martian water, ice, and carbon dioxide to create methane and liquid oxygen to fuel the ships and come back home. The humans would be tasked with collecting one tonne of ice every day to fuel the plant.

The first humans will also likely have to use solar-powered hydroponics to feed the plants and grow more food. Musk said in a February interview that the technology, which allows plants to grow without soil, is already in use on Earth and the same techniques could immediately apply to the Mars colony.

The Starship on Mars.

In short, it’s not going to be a leisurely visit. Musk stated at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas in March this year, that Mars and the moon “are often thought of as some escape hatch for rich people, but it won’t be that at all.”

SpaceX’s Mars Plan: 2025

This is the earliest point at which Musk thinks a Mars colony could take shape . The CEO has predicted a timeframe of “7 to 10 years” before the first bases take shape.

This will expand on the work left behind by the first humans. Paul Wooster, principal Mars development engineer for SpaceX, explained that “the idea would be to expand out, start off not just with an outpost, but grow into a larger base, not just like there are in Antarctica, but really a village, a town, growing into a city and then multiple cities on Mars.” The larger cities would offer habitats, greenhouses, life support, and enable new experiments that help to answer some of the big questions about life on Mars.

A potential future Mars city.

SpaceX’s Mars Plan: 2026

This could be the next time that SpaceX sends more ships to Mars. Musk explained on Twitter that the company could use 10 orbital synchronizations to complete a city by the year 2050. With the two planets set to align in February 2027, this could be about the right time to complete another launch.

SpaceX’s Mars Plan: Beyond

By the end of the next decade, SpaceX expects to have some sort of settlement on Mars. Musk has said there’s a 70 percent chance he’ll visit Mars himself in his lifetime, perhaps paying a visit to this developing colony. That is, depending on how the first settlements go — Musk said in 2016 that “probably people will die,” but “ultimately, it will be very safe to go to Mars, and it will be very comfortable.”

Mars could perhaps serve as a base for more ambitious missions, with Musk describing the Starship as “really intended as an interplanetary transport system that’s capable of getting from Earth to anywhere in the solar system as you establish propellant depots along the way.”

Leaving for further adventures.

Beyond transforming humanity into a space-faring civilization, it could also preserve the species. SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said in April that “if something were to happen on Earth, you need humans living somewhere else…I think you need multiple paths to survival, and this is one of them.”

Related video: Elon Musk Predicts Our Future On Mars At SXSW 2018

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The Journey to Mars: How Long Will It Take?

As humanity’s curiosity about the universe continues to grow, so does our desire to reach further into the depths of space. This desire is epitomized by our interest in Mars, our planetary neighbor and the most viable candidate for future human colonization. The journey to Mars, however, is not as straightforward as it seems. Factors such as varying distances between Earth and Mars, technological limitations, and human wellbeing considerations all play significant roles in dictating how long such a journey would take. From understanding the technology and mechanics of space travel, evaluating our current capabilities, exploring future innovations, to considering the implications of long duration space travel on humans, the prospect of a journey to Mars presents a fascinating and complex challenge.

Understanding Space Travel

Understanding space travel: the basics.

Space travel, particularly interplanetary travel, is a complex and time-consuming process. Unlike driving a car on a highway where the distance between two points is fixed, the distance between Earth and Mars is not constant; it changes as both planets orbit around the Sun. On average, Mars is about 140 million miles away from Earth. However, this distance can be as short as 34 million miles when the two planets align favourably, an event known as “opposition” that occurs about every two years.

Space Technology: The Tools of the Trade

To reach Mars, spacecraft employ advanced technology and harness the laws of physics for their journey. One such technique is the Hohmann Transfer Orbit, a path that when timed correctly, allows spacecraft to travel the least distance to Mars using the least amount of fuel possible. The spacecraft we send to Mars must be capable of immense speeds to successfully make the journey. Speeds usually range between 50,000 to 100,000 kilometers per hour. These speeds are achieved through propulsion systems like rocket thrusters, which provide the force necessary to push the craft through space.

Driving to Mars: The Estimations

How long it would take to get to Mars depends on a number of variables, such as the specific timing of the launch, the speed of the spacecraft, and the relative positioning of Earth and Mars within their orbits at the time of the journey. Using current technology, it takes roughly six to nine months to travel to Mars. NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, which carried the Curiosity Rover, took about 8.5 months to make the journey. Other missions, like the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, took closer to nine months. SpaceX’s Starship, currently under development, aims to make the trip in as little as six months.

Why the Fluctuating Distance Matters

The variable distance between Earth and Mars matters significantly because it affects the amount of fuel and the time it takes to travel. Launching when Earth and Mars are at opposition, or their closest approach, allows a spacecraft to capitalize on the least amount of distance needed to travel. Usually, mission planners design spacecraft trajectories that launch a few months before an opposition event, ensuring the spacecraft arrives at Mars during opposition.

Future of Mars Exploration

Mars remains a key focus in space exploration, and as scientists and engineers innovate and technology advances, it’s likely that Mars mission durations could potentially decrease. NASA’s future Artemis and SpaceX’s Starship missions aim to not only travel to Mars more quickly but to also establish a human presence there. Mars’s close proximity and its similarities to Earth make it a prime target for further study and potential colonization.

Concludingly, the journey to Mars, using our current technological capabilities, is a rather extensive process, requiring approximately six to nine months of travel. This duration, however, is subject to many scientific and technological aspects that contribute to these calculations. As we continue to advance in these fields, we predict that the journey to Mars may become increasingly efficient.

Current Methods of Space Travel

Methods utilized in modern martian travel.

How long the trip to Mars takes is primarily dependent on the means of space travel. NASA currently leads in this domain, boasting eight successful Mars landers to their name. Their standard journey to Mars is characterized by a six-month expedition by leveraging the close alignment of Earth and Mars that occurs once approximately every two years. Utilizing this alignment allows their crafts to journey along a path known as the Hohmann transfer orbit, thus saving valuable fuel.

SpaceX is another formidable presence in this Martian venture. Elon Musk, the visionary CEO, has unveiled ambitions about the Mars Colonial Transporter project, also referred to as the Starship. He is optimistic that future technological advancements could reduce the travel duration to Mars down to four months. Musk has even predicted a 30-day journey to Mars, but this forecast is riddled with considerable technical and financial challenges yet to be surmounted.

The Process of reaching Mars

The journey to Mars consists of three main stages. The initial phase involves the spacecraft’s launch into space, which typically uses a large amount of fuel to overcome Earth’s gravitational pull. This journey from Earth to Mars will then be followed by a cruise stage where the spacecraft coasts through space, making minor adjustments along the way to ensure that it stays on the correct trajectory.

The final phase of a Mars mission is entering the Martian atmosphere and landing on the planet’s surface. This is arguably the trickiest part of the mission because Mars’s thin atmosphere makes it challenging to slow down a fast-moving spacecraft. Many missions have failed during this phase, often due to complications related to avoiding overheating or achieving a safe landing speed.

Notably, the new Perseverance rover that landed in February 2021 used an innovative sky-crane method rather than traditional airbags for landing. It involved the rover being lowered to the surface on a tether from a hovering platform, a method that enabled it to land with precision in a small targeted area.

Understanding the Duration of a Journey to Mars: Present Technology

The current level of technology utilized by NASA allows for a six to nine-month journey to Mars. This duration is achieved by harnessing the shortest possible distance between Earth and Mars, which only becomes feasible for a limited duration once every 26 months. This, thereby, makes the timing of the journey highly critical to effectively benefit from this brief window of opportunity.

The narrow time frame is well-understood by mission planners who leverage it to strategically time their spacecraft’s launch. This maximizes fuel efficiency and minimizes travel time. A case in point is the Mars Insight mission by NASA, which launched in May 2018 and landed on the Martian surface precisely six months later, in late November.

Summing up, the existing methods and technology would see a round trip to Mars lasting about 18 months using a Hohmann transfer orbit. This includes a waiting period on Mars for the optimum alignment of Earth and Mars for the return journey. However, innovative ventures such as SpaceX are exploring ways to shorten this travel time even further. It’s also key to remember in space travel, timelines might seem extended, potentially spanning many years.

Future Methods and Innovations

Future techniques & innovations: a quicker journey to mars.

Given the growing interest in Mars as the next big frontier for human exploration, one vital question needs answering: How can future technologies make the journey to Mars faster and more efficient? With our current capabilities, we can reach Mars in approximately six to nine months. However, the future is poised with innovations that aim to enhance the efficiency and speed of these journeys which making them more viable for human travel.

One promising direction comes from NASA’s research into nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP)

NTP uses a nuclear reactor to heat a propellant, like hydrogen, to extreme temperatures before expelling the propellant out of a rocket nozzle to produce thrust. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate is currently funding several NTP projects for propulsion system designs that could reduce the travel time to Mars by approximately half. This means astronauts could arrive on the Red Planet within three to four months.

Another anticipated method to speed up space travel is the concept of ion propulsion

This involves firing out streams of electrically charged atoms or molecules (ions) from a spacecraft to propel it forward. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has already used this technology for propulsion in low-thrust, high-efficiency missions, but the technology still requires further development before it can facilitate a swift journey to Mars.

Elon Musk and SpaceX have proposed a revolutionary plan to reach Mars using a spacecraft called Starship

It’s designed to be reusable, capable of carrying up to 100 passengers and it would be refueled in orbit around Earth. SpaceX estimates that under optimal conditions, Starship could do the journey in just over a month.

Upcoming Mars Missions

NASA’s plans going forward involve constant Mars exploration with several missions in various stages of development. One notable mission is the Mars Sample Return Mission, which aims to collect samples of Martian rock, soil, and atmosphere for analysis back on Earth. This mission, which will involve cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency, is slated for 2026. It’s hoped that these missions will provide valuable data that could inform and support future manned missions to Mars.

Feasibility and Timeframes: The Future is Closer Than We Think

Given the innovations and technological advancements currently being researched and developed, an era of faster travel to Mars seems on the horizon. However, the feasibility of these methods will depend on overcoming various challenges. These include creating sustainable life support systems for astronauts during long durations in space, protecting against the harmful effects of deep space radiation, and ensuring the safe re-entry and descent of spacecraft to the Martian surface.

Getting to Mars is not a simplistic task. It involves many factors such as enhancements in propulsion technology, improvements to spacecraft design, and strategic mission planning. The good news is that advancements have been promising. Upcoming missions are in the pipeline, experiments are continually being conducted, and technology is rapidly improving. This progress makes the idea of a manned Mars mission – potentially taking as little as one month – a tangible possibility.

Factors Influencing the Travel Time to Mars

Earth and mars orbital paths.

An essential factor in determining the travel time to Mars is the planets’ orbits around the Sun. Both Earth and Mars follow elliptical, or oval-shaped, paths rather than perfect circles. It takes Earth just over a year—365 days—to orbit once around the Sun, while Mars requires almost double that time—approximately 687 Earth days. Since both planets are on separate trajectories and move at different speeds, the distance between them varies incredibly. It fluctuates from a close point of around 34 million miles to a farthest point of up to 250 million miles.

Distance Variations

These distance variations are crucial. When Mars and Earth are closest together – at “opposition” every 26 months – that’s the ideal time to launch a spacecraft. To save time and fuel, space missions aim to coincide with this period. Otherwise, the journey could be considerably longer and require more resources. However, even at opposition, the journey is not immediate. Mariner 7, a NASA spacecraft, accomplished the shortest time from Earth to Mars so far, making its journey in 128 days back in 1969.

Spacecraft Speed

The speed of the spacecraft is another important factor. The faster the spacecraft can go, the less time the journey will take. However, there are practical limits to how fast a spacecraft can travel. The speed depends on the amount of fuel it carries and how much it can burn – known as “delta-v” – to change its speed and trajectory. Generally, unmanned spacecraft traveling to Mars reach speeds of about 100,000 kilometers per hour. At this speed, the shortest possible trip to Mars would take about 39 days.

Energy Requirements

The energy required to reach Mars is considerable. First, the spacecraft must escape Earth’s gravity. Then, it needs to adjust its trajectory to align with Mars’ orbit. Finally, it needs to slow down and safely land on Mars’ surface. Each of these stages requires significant amounts of energy. Most of this energy comes from the spacecraft’s propulsion system, but some can also come from the gravity of other planets or the Sun, used in “gravity assist” maneuvers.

Unpredictable Challenges

Unpredictable factors can also affect the journey to Mars. Space weather, like solar flares or cosmic radiation, can delay or reroute missions. Mechanical issues with the spacecraft could also become crucial mid-flight. Even dust storms on Mars, which can last for weeks or months, can affect the timeline of the mission.

Concluding Thoughts

The journey to Mars is not as straightforward as it seems due to a variety of factors that come into play. The time required to reach the Red Planet is influenced by aspects such as orbits, velocity, and the amount of fuel necessary for the journey. Yet, there may be unexpected hurdles or variations in these factors which can cause travel durations to vary significantly.

Implications of the Journey Duration for Human Mars Missions

Grasping the distance: the length of the mars voyage.

The adventure to Mars, regardless of whether it’s manned or robotic, relies heavily on the probe’s speed and the erratic distance between Earth and Mars, which can fluctuate extensively due to both planets’ elliptical orbits around the Sun. At the point of their closest approach, also known as opposition, Earth and Mars are about 33.9 million miles (54.6 million kilometers) away from each other. But when they find themselves at opposite sides of the Sun, their distance can stretch to as far away as 250 million miles (401 million kilometers).

In practical terms, the optimum time to launch missions to Mars is when Earth and Mars coincide at the point of opposition when the spacecraft has reached Mars. This alignment is also referred to as the Hohmann Transfer Orbit. In these conditions, the spacecraft is required to traverse roughly 300 million miles (480 million kilometers), a journey which could take around nine months given our current propulsion capabilities.

Maintaining Life Support and Supplies for Long-duration Space Travel

Crafting a journey for humans that lasts up to nine months, or potentially longer if any unforeseen complications arise, requires complex planning—just maintaining the vital life-support systems is a major challenge. These systems would have to consistently provide air, water, food, and other basic human survival requirements, and would also need the ability to recycle as much as possible to reduce the mass of supplies launched from Earth.

Fuel is another important resource needed for the journey. The spaceship must store enough propellant for course corrections and to enter and exit Mars’s orbit—not to mention the fuel required for the return journey. Therefore, having fuel efficient systems or concepts like fuel depots in space are being studied.

The logistics of carrying or creating these resources and supplies for the duration of the mission has prompted NASA and other space agencies to research and invest in technologies for in-situ resource utilization. Essentially, this would involve using materials found on Mars to produce water, air, fuel, and possibly even food.

Mental and Physiological Implications of Long-duration Mars Missions

A mission to Mars is not only a physical challenge but also a mental one. Prolonged periods of isolation and confinement could severely affect the crew’s mental health, escalating the risk of issues such as depression and anxiety. Also, because of the time delay in communication with Earth, astronauts need to prepare to be considerably self-sufficient.

Physiologically, long-term space travel can impact the human body in numerous ways, like muscle and bone mass loss and changes to eyesight. As such, the potential impacts on health due to reduced gravity or “weightlessness” and how to counteract them from a dietary, exercise, and medical perspective form another major research area.

Space Agencies’ Preparations for Mars Missions

Considering the numerous challenges, space agencies are prepping to ensure the success of future human trips to Mars. They are launching precursor missions to test technologies, learn more about the Martian environment and its potential hazards, and advance their understanding of living and working on another planet. NASA, for instance, is embarking on long-duration missions to the International Space Station (ISS), simulating Martian environments on Earth, and launching mighty Mars rovers to gather more data on the Red Planet.

In conclusion, the journey to Mars is a crucial next step in human space exploration, necessitating long-term planning and an immense technological boost. It will undoubtedly pose formidable challenges—both scientific and logistical—but as scientists and engineers continue to innovate and explore, future astronauts will progressively come closer to setting foot on the Martian soil.

Exploring the red planet and understanding its potential for sustaining human life is a monumental objective that requires careful planning, robust technologies, and a consideration for human biology and psychology. Advancements in space travel, while impressively innovative and efficient, still evokes discussion about the time it would actually take to get us to Mars. While this journey remains a formidable challenge, it symbolizes our unyielding human spirit of exploration and discovery. As we prepare to embark on this journey, driven by our inherent curiosity and thirst for discovery, the factors that determine the timeframe for such a voyage continue to inform the future of space travel, shedding light on our ability and potential to conquer new frontiers beyond our Earthly realm.

Rover Components

The Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, is based on the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover configuration, with an added science and technology toolbox. An important difference is that Perseverance can sample and cache minerals.

The Rover's "Body"

The Perseverance rover's body is called the warm electronics box, or "WEB" for short. Like a car body, the rover body is a strong, outer layer that protects the rover's computer and electronics (which are basically the equivalent of the rover's brains and heart). The body keeps the rover's vital organs protected and temperature-controlled.

Differences Between Perseverance and Curiosity

The large robotic arm on the front of the rover differs from Curiosity's:

Curiosity collected and studied samples collected onsite with its tools, using the rover's onboard laboratory. Perseverance collects rock cores for possible future advanced study by scientists back on Earth.

To accommodate the new functions and science tools for Perseverance, the rover has a larger "hand," or turret at the end of the robot arm. This turret has the coring drill, two science instruments, and a color camera for close-up surface inspection and "selfies" for engineering health checkups.

The workspace inside the rover body picks up, moves, and places drill bits and sample tubes within the Sample Caching System. New motors that drive these specialized movements were needed, so the Curiosity design was modified to handle the new Perseverance rover motor controller electronics.

Wheels and Legs

New Wheels for Perseverance

Engineers redesigned the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover's wheels to be more robust, due to wear and tear the Curiosity rover wheels endured while driving over sharp, pointy rocks. Perseverance's wheels are narrower, with a bigger diameter and thicker aluminum. Perseverance has six wheels, each with its own motor. The two front and two rear wheels also have individual steering motors, to turn in place a full 360 degrees.  The four-wheel steering also lets the rover swerve and curve, making arcing turns.

Tech Specs - Wheels

How the Wheels Move

Like NASA's previous rovers, Perseverance uses a "rocker-bogie" suspension system . The suspension system connects the wheels to the rover and controls how the rover interacts with the Martian terrain.  Perseverance is designed to withstand a 45-degree tilt in any direction without tipping over. For added protection, rover drivers avoid terrains that would tilt the rover more than 30 degrees.

The suspension system has three main components:

The rover's rocker-bogie suspension enables the rover to drive over obstacles (such as rocks) or through depressions as large as the rover's wheel (20.7 inches, or 52.5 centimeters). Each wheel has an aggressive tread with 48 grousers (or cleats), machined into its surface. The grousers give excellent traction when driving in soft sand and hard rocks.

Rover Speed

By Martian vehicle standards, Perseverance is a standout. Its top speed on flat, hard ground is just under 0.1 mph (152 meters per hour). On Mars, it's about the journey and destinations--not the speed. The energy-efficient slow pace  consumes less than 200 watts, compared to nearly 150,000 watts for a 200-horsepower car. 

Tech Specs - Legs

The rover's brains - its computer - are in its boxy body. The computer module, the Rover Compute Element (RCE), has two identical RCEs so there is always a spare "brain." The computer memory tolerates extreme radiation in space and on Mars. The RCE interfaces with the rover's engineering functions over two networks that follow an aerospace industry standard for the high-reliability airline and spacecraft requirements. The RCEs directly interface with the rover instruments for command and science data exchange.

Tech Specs - Brains

"nerves" for balance and position.

An Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) provides 3-axis information on its position, sothe rover can make precise vertical, horizontal, and side-to-side (yaw) movements. For navigation, the device supports safe traverses and estimates the rover's tilt.

Monitoring its "health"

The computers register temperature and power levels, and other features that keep the rover "alive." This main control loop constantly checks to ensure that the rover can communicate and keep from getting too hot or cold.  It checks and adjusts temperature controls, particularly in the rover body, then records power generation and storage data to decide which new activities to start or finish.  It then schedules and prepares for communication sessions with Earth or local Mars orbiters.

Using its "computer brains" for exchanging information with the team

The flight team on Earth commands the rover to take pictures, drive, and operate the instruments. Perseverance generates and stores constant engineering, housekeeping, analysis telemetry, and event reports, and transmits the data  when the flight team asks for it. One of the two "computer brains is normally asleep, but can be awakened in case of problems.

Neck and Head

A mast for the cameras to give the rover a human-scale view.

Eyes & Ears

Several cameras for engineering and science tasks serve as eyes for driving, while others make science observations and help collect samples. botic hands, arms and feet supply. As with previous rovers, Perseverance uses cameras for sight, robotic hands, arms, feet for touch, and chemical and mineral sensors for tasting and smelling Mars. A new feature adds two microphones that record sounds on Mars. Listen to some of those sounds here.

Entry, Descent, and Landing Cameras

Several cameras recorded stunning full-color views during the Perseverance entry, descent, and landing, including videos that provided invaluable data to help the team address such questions as how precisely the rover touched down in the landing area, how the landing system moved during landing, how much sand and rock the retro rockets blew into the Martian atmosphere, and how the landing system moves as it descends. These new eyes and ears of Perseverance were assembled from easily available commercial hardware. The cameras and microphone were an optional add-on.

The Mars 2020 entry, descent, and landing camera suite included:

Parachute "up look" cameras.

Mounted on the backshell, looking upward at parachute deployment and inflation. Two of three cameras successfully recorded the parachute.

Descent-stage "down look" camera

Mounted on the descent stage, looking downward as the rover was lowered during the skycrane maneuver.

Rover "up look" camera

Mounted on the rover deck, looking upward at the descent stage during the skycrane maneuver and descent stage separation.

Rover "down look" camera

Mounted beneath the rover, looking downward at the surface.

Lander Vision System Camera

Critical to a safe touchdown, this camera took images needed for Terrain-Relative Navigation. During descent, while the spacecraft dangled beneath the parachute, the wide-angle Lander Vision System Camera looked downward, busily taking images of the rapidly approaching surface. A computer on the rover quickly analyzed the images and compared them to an onboard map to determine the rover’s position relative to the ground. This helped Perseverance autonomously pick the safest touchdown site within its landing area. The camera's image size is 1024x1024 pixels.

Enhanced Engineering Cameras for Driving

These cameras help human operators on Earth drive the rover more precisely, and better target the movements of the arm, drill, and other tools that get close to their targets. A much wider field-of-view allows for a much better view of the rover.

This is important for checking the health of rover parts and measuring changes in dust and sand quantities that may accumulate on rover surfaces. The cameras can take pictures while the rover is moving. These cameras share the same camera body, but use different lenses for each task.

Hazard Avoidance Cameras (HazCams)

Perseverance carries six newly developed Hazard Detection Cameras (HazCams): four in front and two on the rear. HazCams detect hazards to the front and back pathways of the rover, such as large rocks, trenches, and sand dunes. The front HazCams help engineers see where to move the robotic arm to take measurements, photos, and collect samples. When driving, the rover stops frequently to take new stereo images of the path ahead to evaluate potential hazards. The 3D views allow the rover to make its own decisions about where to drive without consulting on every move with the rover team on Earth.

Navigation Cameras (Navcams)

Two color stereo Navigation Cameras (Navcams), help engineers navigate Perseverance safely, particularly when the rover navigates autonomously. Located high on the rover's mast, these cameras can see an object as small as a golf ball from 82 feet (25 meters) away. Before Perseverance "drives blind,” the cameras help ensure a safe path. Blind-drive mode occurs when engineers command the rover to drive a certain distance in a certain direction, and the rover's computer "brains" calculate distance from wheel rotations without looking or checking for wheel slippage.

New Camera to Record Sample Collection: CacheCam

The "CacheCam" single camera looks down at the top of the sample cache. It takes pictures of sampled materials and the sample tubes as they are being prepared for sealing and caching. This helps scientists “watch over” and keep a record of the entire process.

Robotic Arm

The 7-foot-long (2.1 meters) robotic arm can move a lot like your arm. Its shoulder, elbow. and wrist "joints" offer maximum flexibility. Using the arm, the rover works as a human geologist: holding and using science tools with its "hand," or turret. The "hand tools" extract cores from rocks, take microscopic images. and analyze the elemental and mineral composition of Martian rocks and soil.

Tech Specs - Robotic Arm

Sample handling.

The Perseverance rover is the first mission to demonstrate gathering samples from Martian rocks and soil using its drill. The rover stores the sample cores in tubes on the Martian surface. This sample caching process could potentially pave the way for future missions to collect the samples and return them to Earth for intensive laboratory analysis.

The three major steps in sample handling are:

Step 1: collecting the samples, step 2: sample sealing and storing onboard, sampling equipment in the rover belly, witness tubes, step 3: depositing the samples on the surface.

Samples are sealed in tubes and left in a well-identified spot, or spots, place on the Martian surface. Detailed maps will be provided for any future mission that might go to Mars and pick up these samples for study by scientists on Earth.

After a sample is collected, the sample tube is transferred back to the rover's belly, handed off to the small interior robotic arm and moved to inspection and sealing stations. Once the tube is hermetically sealed, nothing can enter or leave it. The tubes are stored in the rover belly until the team decides on when and where to drop off the samples on the surface.

The rover belly houses all the equipment and supplies needed to collect samples. It contains a rotating drill carousel with different kinds of drill bits. Next to that are 43 sample tubes waiting to be filled. While the rover’s big arm reaches out and drills rock, the belly hosts a small robotic arm "lab assistant." The small arm picks up and moves new sample tubes to the drill, and transfers filled sample containers into a space for sealing and storing.

Perseverance must meet extraordinary cleanliness requirements to avoid contaminating Martian samples with terrestrial contaminants that may have  inadvertently been brought from Earth. Strict rules limit the amount of inorganic, organic, and biological materials from Earth in the rover and its sample handling system. Perseverance carries five "witness tubes'' along with sample collection tubes. The witness tubes are like sample tubes except they are preloaded with various materials that can capture molecular and particulate contaminants, such as: - Gasses that may be released, or "outgassed," from materials on the rover; - Chemical remnants from the firing of the landing propulsion system; - Any other Earthly organic or inorganic material that may have arrived on Mars with the rover. In the future, if the Perseverance samples are returned to Earth for analysis, the witness tubes would show whether Earth contaminants were present during sample collection. This would help scientists tell which materials sampled may actually be of Earth origin.

Samples are deposited on the Mars surface at a sample cache depot.The depot location or locations must be well-documented by local landmarks and precise coordinates from orbital measurements. The Mars samples remain at the depot, available for potential pickup and transport Earth.

Power Source

For electrical power, Perseverance carries a radioisotope power system. This system produces a dependable electricity flow using the heat of plutonium's radioactive decay as its "fuel." The power source, called a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), has a 14-year operational lifetime. The MMRTG converts heat from the natural radioactive decay of plutonium into electricity to charge the rover's two primary batteries and keep the rover's tools and systems at their correct operating temperatures.

Tech Specs - Power Source

Communications.

The Perseverance rover has three antennas that serve as its "voice" and its "ears." They are located on the rover equipment deck. Having multiple antennas provides operational flexibility and back-up options in case they are needed.

Ultra-High Frequency Antenna

X-band high-gain antenna, x-band low-gain antenna, discover more topics from nasa.

James Webb Space Telescope

Perseverance Rover

Parker Solar Probe

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How long does it take to get to mars trips to the red planet, explained.

There's a lot of talk about sending people to Mars. But how long does it take to make a trip to the Red Planet from Earth? Here's what we know.

Mars  stands out as one of the most fascinating planets in the entire Solar System — and a planet many people dream of visiting one day. Unfortunately, actually making a trip to get to the Red Planet can take  quite  a bit of time. Mars has long been a point of interest for astronomers all over the world. Thanks to its solid surface, rich history, and the belief that life once existed there, humans are constantly trying to learn more about our Martian neighbor.

This desire to explore Mars has only increased in recent years. NASA landed its Perseverance rover on Mars in February 2021, tasking it with collecting rock samples that'll eventually be returned to Earth. NASA also used its InSight probe in July 2021 to create an interior map of Mars — the first of its kind for a planet beyond Earth. Combine these robotic adventures with the building desire to send the first humans to Mars, and it's safe to say Martian interest has never been greater.

Related:  Is There Carbon On Mars? What The Element Could Tell Us About Mars' Past

All of this discussion of Mars raises an important question, however: How long does it take to get to the planet? It's not something that's given much thought when NASA sends a rover or orbiter to Mars, but if the organization's eventually going to send people there, how long of a trip can they expect? The average distance between Mars and Earth is around 140 million miles. Let's say someone was traveling at 60 mph — a typical driving speed for a car here on Earth. At that rate, it could take a little under 2,330,333 hours to get to Mars (or around 266 years). Thankfully, ships designed for space travel can go  much  faster . NASA's New Horizons spacecraft — one of the fastest ever created — could reach Mars in around 162 days traveling at 36,000 mph.

The Distance Between Earth And Mars Is Constantly Changing

Those are all just average numbers, though. Because Earth, Mars, and other planets orbit the Sun at different speeds, that means the distance between them is constantly changing. That 140 million mile distance between Earth and Mars is just an average. The closest Mars ever got to Earth was in 2003 when it was just 34.8 million miles from the planet. If NASA could have used its New Horizons ship to fly to Mars then, it would have reached the Red Planet in about 40 days! When the two planets are at their furthest point from each other, they can be separated by up to 250 million miles . Even with the incredible speed of New Horizons, it'd take the ship 289 days to reach Mars at this distance.

This variable distance between Earth and Mars is immediately apparent when looking at past missions to the Red Planet. Most recently, it took NASA's Perseverance rover 203 days of traveling from its launch on Earth to landing on Mars' surface. 2005's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter made it to Mars in 205 days, the Pathfinder spacecraft got on Mars after 212 days, and Curiosity arrived on Mars following 254 days of travel. NASA tries to plan its launches around optimal positions between Earth and Mars, but of course, there's always some variance in how long it takes to get there.

There's no doubt that a trip to Mars takes a  long  time right now . Thankfully, this is something scientists and engineers are constantly trying to improve. SpaceX, for example, estimates it could send people to Mars in as little as 80 days! It'll be a while before that's standard practice, but it goes to show that 200+ days of travel won't always be the norm.

Next:  Why Is Mars Red?

Source:  NASA

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'First people on Mars in 7-9 years': Elon Musk envisions 1,000 spaceships take off for the red planet

S paceX founder Elon Musk has estimated that his company will be able to make crewed landing on Mars in the next 7-9 years. Musk said that the pace of the mission to Mars has to increase rapidly once the ability to land on Mars is confirmed.

“The first Starship that will land on Mars, which obviously would not have people at first, I think it's probably within about 5 years. And then we would probably launch several ships and just confirm that they can land on Mars,” Musk said.

In a conversation with Nicolai Tangen, the CEO of Norway’s Norges Bank Investment Management, Musk said that SpaceX would also be sending people to the Moon, which would be sooner than the human mission to Mars.

“We'll also be doing the moon simultaneously with that. I think we'll get people back to the Moon I should say within 5 years. And we'll get uncrewed ships landed on Mars within 5 years. And then we will be building up the production rate and improving the design of the booster in the ship. So, the first people on Mars, I think within seven years or so seven to nine years. And from there we need to rapidly increase,” he said.

Musk envisions thousands of spaceships taking off for Mars once they are able to confirm the spaceships can land properly, but the travel has to be seasonal.

He explained: “We need massive numbers of ships going. And Earth and Mars only are in the same quadrant of the solar system roughly for six months every two years. It's only possible to really transfer efficiently from Earth to Mars, I say every six months, but really about a couple months where it's ideal every 26 months.”

“So, every two years, you would see a fleet depart for Mars. And, I think it will be quite a spectacular thing to see a thousand ships depart for Mars all at once like Battlestar Galactica.”

Musk also mentioned that they have all the technology to make this come true.

“I think we have all the tech. We already know all the technology that's necessary for that (to go to Mars). We just need to build. So, no new physics is needed for this,” he said.

Musk stressed on the importance of humans becoming a multiplanet species to preserve human consciousness.  

“I think it's important for consciousness in general. If we wish to maximise the lifespan of consciousness then being a multiplanet species will result in a much longer existence of consciousness than if we're on one planet. If we're on one planet, we're simply biding our time until there's eventually a calamity. It could be soon, it could be a long time but eventually something will happen. It could be a global thermo-nuclear war. It could be simply that civilization merely subsides.”

He said that human life would eventually die on planet Earth, which made it all the more important for humans to migrate to other planets. According to Musk, Mars can potentially be just one of the many planets humans will eventually relocate to.

“Our civilization may not die with a bang, it may die with a whimper. Just gradually falling into obsolescence. But if we're multiplanet species then we've got two planets. And they can support each other and we can go beyond two planets ultimately to the moons of Jupiter, to the beyond, to the outer parts of the solar system and ultimately to other star systems." 

"So this tiny candle of consciousness that we have in this vast darkness can be extended and amplified. And we're just far more likely for consciousness to survive if we are multiplanet species.”

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Dubai flooding hobbles major airport's operations as "historic weather event" brings torrential rains to UAE

Updated on: April 17, 2024 / 5:57 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Dubai, United Arab Emirates  — The desert nation of the United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Wednesday from the heaviest rain ever recorded there after a deluge flooded out Dubai International Airport, disrupting travel through the world's busiest airfield for international travel. The state-run WAM news agency called the rain Tuesday "a historic weather event" that surpassed "anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949." 

The rains began late Monday, soaking the sands and roadways of Dubai with some 0.79 inches of rain, according to meteorological data collected at Dubai International Airport. The storms intensified around 9 a.m. local time Tuesday and continued throughout the day, dumping more rain and hail onto the overwhelmed city.

Flooding impacts Dubai International Airport

By the end of Tuesday, more than 5.59 inches of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours. An average year sees just 3.73 inches of rain fall at Dubai International Airport, a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates.

At the airport, standing water lapped on taxiways as aircraft landed. Arrivals were halted Tuesday night and passengers struggled to reach terminals through the floodwater covering surrounding roads.

The airport said in a  series of social media posts  that all operations were halted for about 25 minutes on Tuesday afternoon and that all arrivals would be diverted after that "until the weather conditions improve." Late Wednesday morning, the airport and the flagship carrier Emirates were still warning travelers not to come to the airport unless absolutely necessary, saying all flight check-in was still suspended.

"Flights continue to be delayed and diverted. Please check your flight status directly with your airline," the airport said in a tweet. "We are working hard to recover operations as quickly as possible in very challenging conditions." 

One couple, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in a country with strict laws that criminalize critical speech, called the situation at the airport "absolute carnage."

"You cannot get a taxi. There's people sleeping in the Metro station. There's people sleeping in the airport," the man said Wednesday.

They ended up getting a taxi to near their home some 18 miles away, but floodwater on the road stopped them. A bystander helped them over a highway barrier with their carry-on luggage, the bottles of gin they picked up from a duty-free store clinking away.

Paul Griffiths, the airport's CEO, acknowledged continued issues with flooding Wednesday morning, saying every place an aircraft could be safely parked was taken. Some aircraft had been diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, the city-state's second airfield.

"It remains an incredibly challenging time. In living memory, I don't think anyone has ever seen conditions like it," Griffiths told the state-owned talk radio station Dubai Eye. "We are in uncharted territory, but I can assure everyone we are working as hard as we possibly can to make sure our customers and staff are looked after."

Did "cloud-seeding" contribute?

Rain also fell in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. However, the rains were acute across the UAE. One reason may have been " cloud seeding ," in which small planes flown by the government go through clouds burning special salt flares. Those flares can increase precipitation.

Several reports quoted meteorologists at the National Center for Meteorology as saying they flew six or seven cloud-seeding flights before the rains. The center did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday, though flight-tracking data analyzed by the AP showed one aircraft affiliated with the UAE's cloud-seeding efforts flew around the country Sunday.

The UAE, which relies heavily on energy-hungry desalination plants to provide water, conducts cloud seeding in part to increase its dwindling, limited groundwater.

Flooding closes schools across UAE

Schools across the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, largely shut ahead of the storm and government employees were largely working remotely if they could. Many workers stayed home as well, though some ventured out, with the unfortunate ones stalling out their vehicles in deeper-than-expected water covering some roads.

Authorities sent tanker trucks out into the streets and highways to pump away the water. Water poured into some homes, forcing people to bail out their houses.

The country's hereditary rulers offered no overall damage or injury information for the nation, as some people slept in their flooded vehicles Tuesday night. In Ras al-Khaimah, the country's northernmost emirate, police said a 70-year-old man died when his vehicle was swept away by floodwater.

Fujairah, an emirate on the UAE's eastern coast, saw the heaviest rainfall Tuesday with 5.7 inches falling there.

Authorities canceled school and the government instituted remote work again for Wednesday.

Rain is unusual in the UAE, an arid, Arabian Peninsula nation, but occurs periodically during the cooler winter months. Many roads and other areas lack drainage given the lack of regular rainfall, causing flooding.

Meanwhile in neighboring Oman, a sultanate that rests on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, at least 19 people were killed in heavy rains in recent days, according to a statement Wednesday from the country's National Committee for Emergency Management. That includes some 10 schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle with an adult, prompting condolences from rulers across the region.

Climatologists have warned for years that human-driven climate change is fueling more extreme and less predictable weather events across the globe.

Parts of southern Russia and Central Asia have also been dealing for days with unusually damaging amounts of rainfall and snowmelt, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate to higher ground and killing more than 60 people in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

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• Severe Weather
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Reporting by Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Parisa Hafezi in Dubai, Timur Azhari in Baghdad, Jeff Mason, Eric Beech and Doina Chiacu in Washington and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Lidia Kelly in Lisbon; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Daniel Wallis, Chizu Nomiyama, Howard Goller and William Mallard

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Violence flares in west bank as gaza fighting continues.

A Palestinian ambulance driver was killed during the evacuation of the wounded during a raid by violent Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, Palestinian authorities said.

Ukraine attacked eight Russian regions with dozens of long-range strike drones, setting ablaze a fuel depot and hitting three power substations in a major attack early on Saturday, an intelligence source in Kyiv told Reuters.

Crop Trust, which works to preserve crop bio-diversity, needs to more than double its $300 million endowment fund to be able to support seed banks across the world, Executive Director Stefan Schmitz said.

Want to work remotely in Italy? The country just launched its new digital nomad visa.

Remote workers with dreams of working from the rolling hills of Tuscany or the cliffs of Positano are now one step closer to making that reality. Italy launched a new digital nomad visa.

Two years after its announcement, the highly anticipated digital nomad visa officially became available for those eligible on April 4.  

“Italian-style, everything happens slowly,” said Nick Metta, a lawyer for the law firm Studio Legale Metta , which has helped Americans relocate to Italy for decades. “Now there is a pipeline of people waiting just to file the application. It's been a long-awaited visa.” 

Most of Metta’s clients would previously apply for a student visa, which allowed them to work part time in Italy. 

Under the new visa, people will be able to work from Italy for one year, with the option to renew once their visa is due for expiration. Without a visa, U.S. travelers could only stay in Italy for up to 90 days without the ability to work.

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The launch makes Italy the latest European country to offer a digital nomad visa , which has already been available in Greece and Hungary. 

Here’s everything we know about the digital nomad visa for Italy:

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Who can apply for a digital nomad visa in Italy?

According to the official decree , the visa is meant for those who “carry out a highly qualified work activity through the use of technological tools that allow you to work remotely.” 

The regulations define eligible applicants as “digital nomads,” self-employed freelancers, “remote workers,” or those employed by a company outside of Italy and can work from anywhere, according to Studio Legale Metta.

To qualify for the visa, the applicant has to meet certain requirements:

◾ A university or college degree or an accredited professional license.

◾ Six months of work experience in the industry, or five years for applicants without a university degree.

◾ An existing employment contract.

◾ A criminal record check.

◾ Proof of an annual income of 28,000 euros (about $29,880.06).

◾ Evidence of housing in Italy.

◾ Evidence of health insurance coverage.

Applicants can also apply to have family members join them on their Italian move, but the government has to give the final approval. 

How do I apply for the digital nomad visa in Italy?

Thankfully, Metta said the paperwork for the digital nomad visa isn’t “too complicated.” 

The first stop for interested applicants will be the Italian Consulate for their area. “Consulates are basically the front of the government to receive the applications,” Metta said. Interested applicants can book an appointment with the consulate and start gathering their necessary documents. People can also apply by mailing in their application. (However, Metta did mention consulate websites are often confusing and outdated, so working with a relocation service can make things easier.)

To apply, applicants will also need a passport with an expiration date at least three months after the end of the visa period and two passport-sized photos.

Relocation services can also help people navigate the sometimes complicated process of applying for a visa, such as negotiating early termination penalties with landlords in Italy. 

These services also help people with state and tax planning, especially if people own assets in the U.S., like a house. Once in Italy, people need to register their residency with the town hall, which will determine what sort of taxes they’ll pay. People can speak to an international tax specialist to figure out their future taxes as well. 

How much will the visa cost?

According to Studio Legale Metta, the application fee is 116 euros (about $123.78) per person.

How long will the application process take?

Not too long, actually. Metta estimates the process could take just three weeks if applicants are “well-organized and have all your tax documents filed.”

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected] .