How to fly to Mars. Mars - how long to fly to the red planet

We can safely say that Mars is the only planet of intergalactic expanses that attracts the increased attention of scientists around the world. And if before the earthlings were only engaged in the study of the planet, then recently they have seriously thought about the settlement of the "Red Star".

In the article we will tell you how long to fly to Mars, what grandiose expedition is planned to land selected volunteers on the territory of the "Fiery Planet"? What obstacles can stand in the way of its implementation?

What is the distance between Mars and Earth

The Red Planet is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second farthest from the Earth. On average, Mars and Earth are at a distance 225 million km apart. However, this is a floating value that changes regularly. This is due to the fact that the planets revolve around the sun. The closest "neighborhood" was observed in 2003. Then the planets were at a distance of 56 million km apart.

It is interesting: the maximum possible distance between Mars and Earth is 401 million km.

Who first measured the distance

Modern tools of researchers are very accurate, but in the 17th century (or, more precisely, in 1672, they were not). Therefore, Giovanni Cassini resorted to the so-called parallax method. To do this, he stayed in the capital of France, while his fellow scientist Jean Richard went to French Guiana. It is noteworthy that the accuracy of the results of measurements carried out by scientists turned out to be only 7% less than the readings of modern equipment.

What is the best time to fly

In theory best time for planning a space flight to Mars is the period when it is at the point of the orbit of Perihelion, and the Earth at the point of Aphelium. In this case, the distance between the objects of interest to us would be almost 55 million km. But these are just "calculations on paper". After all, humanity has never been able to witness such an arrangement of the planets.

How long to fly to Mars: numbers and facts

If you don't have the patience to endure a half-hour trip to the nearest shopping center or an amusement park, you shouldn't become an astronaut.

It is known that the automatic interplanetary station NASA New Horizons, which went to Pluto in 2006, is currently the fastest vehicle in the history of space flight. It is noteworthy that New Horizons left Earth's orbit at a speed of 58 thousand km per hour.

Let's make some simple calculations based on these data and find out how much this NASA interplanetary station would fly to Mars:

with the so-called "opposition" (when Mars and planet Earth are as close to each other as possible), the duration of the trip would be 39 days;
with an average distance of about 162 days;
and at the maximum distance of the planets from each other, a flight to Mars will take 289 days.

Attention: all calculations were made in a straight line and, of course, these are only theoretical calculations. It is necessary to understand that neither the Earth nor Mars stands still. It is impossible to send a rocket or other spacecraft from point A directly to point B (due to the fact that the planets are continuously moving in their orbits around the sun). To hit the target, it is necessary to take into account the trajectory of the movement of the Red Planet. Otherwise, the error can be too costly.

List of the most important space missions

November 28, 1964 became significant date in the history of flights to Mars. Indeed, on this very day, the American spacecraft Mariner 4 NASA went to the "Red Planet". The unit arrived at the object of study on July 14, 1965. It was then that the first series of images of Mars was taken, consisting of 21 photos. It is noteworthy that the total flight time was 228 days.

No less successful was the flight Mariner 6, which set off on February 25, 1969 to conquer the Martian expanses. The duration of the trip was 156 days.

But the next spacecraft, Mariner 7, needed 131 days to achieve the goal.

The duration of the flight of the Mariner 9 spacecraft, which successfully entered Mars orbit, was 167 days.

Viking 1 is the first spacecraft to “land” on the surface of the Red Planet. It happened in 1975, and the total flight duration is 304 days.

Exploration of Mars has continued at a similar pace for over 50 years. Every space journey takes from 150 to 350 days... For example, in 2006, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter flew, which lasted 210 days. And in 2008, Phoenix Lander returned to Earth in 295 days.

Is it possible to fly to Mars at the speed of light

Most likely, such a question visited you while reading the article. Recall that this value is 299,792 km per second or 1 billion kilometers per hour. This means that the sun's rays reflected from the surface of Mars will reach our planet:

under the "opposition" - for 3 minutes;
at an average distance - within 12.5-13 minutes;
with a minimum approach - about 22 minutes.

Since there is no other limit to the speed at which earthlings can move, except for the speed of light, let's imagine that we still managed to avoid the problems associated with the construction of ultra-high-speed rockets and spaceships. However, in this case, we are faced with a much more serious problem. The fact is that human body composed mainly of water, is not ready for such a serious test of speed.

And even if humanity opens physical law, capable of giving us such an acceleration, it is necessary to understand that we will have to quickly pick up speed, and just as instantly reduce it. And such fluctuations pose a mortal danger to the fragile human body. Fainting, partial or complete loss of vision and other symptoms can be observed. Many of them are familiar to air pilots. Moreover, there are even known fatal cases when pilots crashed due to a black veil in front of their eyes or loss of consciousness.

How to get to the planet with the lowest fuel consumption

The primary challenge facing engineers is not reducing the time spent in intergalactic space, but fuel economy. For decades, NASA engineers have followed a method called the Hohmann trajectory. This method means minimal fuel consumption. To begin with, engineers launch a rocket or satellite into the solar orbit.

After some time, the orbit intersects with the orbit of the "Red Planet" and it turns out to be at the desired point of its orbit. Of course, before launching a satellite, it is necessary to make serious calculations in order to correctly calculate the speed of Mars.

How to fly faster

Unfortunately, a flight lasting 250 days poses a serious danger to cosmonauts. During flight, they will be constantly exposed to background radiation. In addition, storms occur on the Sun. A similar phenomenon can kill all crew members in a matter of hours in outer space.

One solution that engineers see is the production of nuclear missiles. It is on such devices that the first people will go to Mars.

It is interesting: at the moment, some world-famous scientists believe that if you equip a spacecraft with a nuclear-powered engine, it will be possible to reduce the duration of a trip to Mars to 39 days.

At the moment, former astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz is developing another technology that will allow people to travel relatively quickly from Earth to Mars. If he manages to introduce magnetic-plasma rockets with variable momentum, the space journey to the "Red Planet" will last 5 months.

How many years will a person set foot on Mars

In 2013 it became known about a new project Mars one, which will launch the first spacecraft with passengers on board in 2026. And although about 200 thousand residents expressed a desire to participate in such an important expedition for earthlings, after several qualifying rounds there will be no more than 20. It is known that everything that happens on the territory of the planet, which is a lifeless desert, will be broadcast online.

The responsibility for the technical base of the project rests with Lockheed. It was she who developed the lander for the NASA satellite that landed on Mars in 2008. It is known that in this case the flight to the fourth planet from the Sun will take 7-8 months.

It is interesting: about a quarter of the candidates who have expressed a desire to go to Mars are Americans, residents of Russia and other CIS countries are only 4%.

Elon Musk's plans to populate the "Red Planet"

The head of the world famous Tesla and SpaceX has similar plans. However, he stated that the first humans will land on Mars in 2024. His project is notable for its scale. After all, he set a serious task for the engineers - to build a spacecraft that can simultaneously accommodate 200 people and carry 450 tons of cargo.

Of course, the pioneers will have the great honor of becoming the first people to set foot on the surface of Mars. However, they should not be envied.

What difficulties await a manned expedition:

Experts believe that the most difficult thing for the crew members will be in a psychological sense. Unfortunately, the processes that take place in the central nervous system in the absence of contact with close and dear people.
On a note: earlier in Russia, the Mars-500 project was carried out, during which six volunteers were trapped in a confined space for 500 days. Especially for the experiment, Russian scientists have built a prototype of a spacecraft. As a result, many of the people were diagnosed with various sleep disorders and depression.
Mission representatives will need to keep their bodies in good physical shape at all times. The fact is that in space, muscles, bones and even the cardiovascular system of the human body function differently. To keep them working, you should play sports every day for 2-3 hours.
Many people who live as if on autopilot, thinking only about their daily affairs and problems, do not even pay attention to what surrounds us: the sun's rays, clouds, stars in the night sky and ... fresh air. Unfortunately, members of the space crew who have the opportunity to visit Mars will be deprived of such happiness. The fact is that the atmosphere on the "Red Planet" is very rarefied (about 1% of the Earth's). More than 95% of it consists of carbon dioxide with a small amount of oxygen.
It is known that before each mission to Mars, all rovers are thoroughly wiped and disinfected. Such measures are necessary to prevent the entry of terrestrial infection on the surface of Mars. But if the astronaut becomes infected with an unknown disease on the "Red Planet", unfortunately, we will not be able to take him back. Such a tough and even slightly ruthless measure is necessary in order to prevent the development of an unprecedented infection and not provoke an outbreak of an epidemic on Earth. Alas, the sick astronaut is destined to die away from family and friends.
People who dream of offspring, it is better not to leave the Earth and not go to Mars. Since scientists do not yet know how pregnancy and labor will proceed in Martian conditions. Are mutations possible?
Gravity hurts. It is known that on the territory of Mars, gravity is two-thirds less than on Earth. A person gets used to everything - both good and bad. During the adaptation to the Martian attraction, the process of atrophy of the muscular and skeletal systems will occur. Therefore, returning home - to their home planet - will cause not only tears of joy among the crew members, but also true physical torment.
Perhaps one of the most serious dangers facing the Mars expedition is radiation. The fact is that on the "Red Planet" there is no magnetic field, therefore, every time you exit the brick-rusty surface, you will be exposed to radioactive radiation.

Now you know how far Mars is from our Planet, and how long it will take to get into orbit. Of course, due to the overpopulation of the Earth, mankind will be forced to look for new "promised lands" for its further existence. However, so far, an expedition to the "Red Planet" is being conducted to study the features of Mars and its differences from our habitat. Since the "Fiery Star" to this day is a poorly studied object of intergalactic space.

Mars The World That Wasn't

In the video, you will learn about what hypotheses scientists are building about the origin of Mars. How was this cold and lifeless desert before? Is there water there, and is the planet suitable for settlement?

From Earth to Mars in 4 min. 19 sec.

In this video, you will see the flight of the rover to Mars. It landed on a lifeless planet exactly 229 days after launch. You will see a flight to Mars at the speed of light.

Mars Red Planet

Mankind has known about Mars since the days of ancient civilizations. Even the ancient Chinese called the planet "Fiery Star". But despite the fact that Mars has been studied for a long time and despite dozens of flying vehicles sent into its orbit, people have not managed to find out most of the secrets hidden "under the cover" of the Earth's space brother.

7 235

A flight to Mars should not be taken lightly. After all, it is over 56 million kilometers. The Red Planet is the next great human achievement, and there are several barriers to achieving it. Both national governments and private companies are competing to send humans to Mars. But how much to fly to Mars and how expensive it will cost. And what happens after you actually step on this soft dusty red Martian land?

How long to fly to Mars from Earth

The Mars InSight spacecraft managed to reach the planet in a relatively short time, but a shuttle with people and supplies needed to survive may take longer.

The smallest recorded distance between Earth and Mars is 56 million kilometers. Distance changes due to our orbits. Even light, which travels incredibly fast, can take up to 12 minutes to reach us from the surface of Mars.

NASA's InSight is about to land on the surface of Mars, NASA photo, October 2016

The fastest rocket launch from Earth occurred in 2015 and was developing at a speed of 36,000 miles per hour (58,000 km / h). Based on this figure, and given that Mars may be further away depending on when you visit, scientists say the journey to the red planet takes about 300 days. It's just under ten months. However, some say that if everyone correct elements leveled and you've used a lot of fuel, it can only take 150 days, which is five months.

Other ideas to reduce flight times to Mars

While it takes some patience for a spacecraft to fly 250 days to reach Mars, we may need a completely different method of propulsion if we send humans. Space is a hostile place, and radiation from interplanetary space can pose a long-term threat to the health of human astronauts.

The question of how long to fly to Mars is important not only technologically and financially. Space flights- this is not a trip to a resort, it is a dangerous event for human health. The less time you are in space, the better for you.

Background cosmic rays create a constant flux that causes cancer, but there is a greater risk of massive solar storms that can kill unprotected astronauts in a matter of hours. If you can reduce travel time, you will reduce the amount of time astronauts receive from radiation exposure and minimize the amount of supplies they have to carry for their return flight.

This composite photograph was taken from over 100 images of Mars taken by Orbiters Viking in the 1970s.

How long to fly to Mars using various technologies

Nuclear missiles

One of the ideas is nuclear missiles which heat the working fluid - for example, hydrogen - to intense temperatures in nuclear reactor and then blasting it out of the rocket nozzle at high speeds to create thrust. Because nuclear fuel is much denser in energy than chemical rockets, you can get a higher thrust rate for less fuel. It is estimated that a nuclear rocket could shorten the flight time to Mars by about 7 months.

Magnetoplasma rockets

Another suggestion is a technology called magnetoplasma rocket with variable specific impulse(or VASIMR). This is electromagnetic motor which uses radio waves to ionize and heat fuel. This creates an ionized gas called plasma, which can high speed push out the back of the spacecraft. Former astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz is leading 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. On a mission to Mars, the VASIMR rocket can reduce the flight time to Mars by up to 5 months.

Antimatter

Perhaps one of the most extreme suggestions would be to use antimatter rockets... Created in particle accelerators, antimatter is the densest fuel you could use. When atoms of matter meet atoms of antimatter, they turn into pure energy, as predicted by the famous equation of Albert Einstein: E = mc 2.

So how long does it take to get to Mars using antimatter technology? It would take just 10 milligrams of antimatter to propel a human mission to Mars in just 45 days! But then the production of even such a small amount of antimatter will cost about $ 250 million.

How to fly to Mars with the least fuel

The main challenge for engineers is how to get a spacecraft to Mars with the least amount of fuel. Robots don't really care about a hostile space environment, so it makes sense to keep the cost of launching a rocket as low as possible.

NASA engineers use a propulsion technique called Homan transfer orbit - or minimum energy transfer orbit - to send a spacecraft from Earth to Mars with the least amount of fuel. The technique was first proposed by Walter Homan, who published the first description of the maneuver in 1925.

Instead of directing your rocket directly to Mars, you raise the orbit of your spacecraft so that it follows a larger orbit around the Sun than Earth. Eventually, this orbit will cross the orbit of Mars - at the very moment when it is also there.

If you need to launch with less fuel, you need more time to raise your orbit and increase your trip to Mars.

How much will a flight to Mars cost

In addition to the fact that the flight to Mars is long, it is also an expensive event. Although, according to mega-space billionaire Elon Musk, in the end it's not that much. He says it could drop to $ 100,000. And don't worry about providing a return trip, because, according to Elon, it will be free.

"A flight to Mars will cost less than $ 500,000, maybe even less than $ 100,000."

- Elon Musk

What will we do when we reach Mars

Musk speculates that 1,000 passenger ships will fly en masse to the Red Planet in the next century, in the style of Battlestar Galaktika. He presented his vision for the colonization of Mars at the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara several years ago. Needless to say, he received a warning from the avid space lovers in the crowd. But he admitted that going to Mars would not be as easy as, say, moving to another city.

SpaceX is now actively trying to make this scientific dream a reality. The company is developing a 100-passenger spacecraft called Starship and a giant rocket known as the Super Heavy, which together make up transport system, which, according to Musk, will eventually lead to the settlement of Mars.

“This is the fastest route to a self-sufficient city on Mars,” Musk said during a webcast about the Starship-Super Heavy architecture.

When asked when it might be built, Musk said, "Probably 2028 will be good for building the base." In the early years, human civilization on Mars would have been pretty simple. Musk said the pioneers would have “just a base to build rocket fuel, power plants, blast domes in which to grow crops. All kinds of foundations that you cannot survive without. "

And, most likely, you will not come back. Therefore, anyone who is wondering how long to fly to Mars will need to say goodbye to our great blue planet, because they probably will not set foot on it again.

In this article, we will answer the questions: What is the distance from Earth to Mars in km? How long does it take to fly to Mars?

In order to answer the question of how long it will take to fly to get to Mars, we need to consider a number of conditions: starting from the current position of the planets, ending with the use of different technologies for flying to Mars. Let's take a look at a few important points.

So how far is Mars? What is the distance from Earth to Mars in km?

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

Mars- the fourth planet from the Sun and is the second closest planet relative to the Earth (Venus is the most nearby planet to the Earth).

Since the orbits of the planets around the Sun are different, the distance between Mars and the Earth is constantly changing.

Image of Mars taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2003. Mars then was at a distance of 55 million km (55,757,930 km to be exact) from the Earth.

In theory, the Earth and Mars will be as close to each other as possible, then when the following conditions are met: Mars is at the Perihelion point (orbital point celestial body, revolving around the Sun, which is closest to it), and the Earth at the Aphelios point (the point of the orbit of a celestial body revolving around the Sun, the most distant from it). The distance between the two planets would then be 33.9 million miles (54.6 million kilometers). However, this has never happened in human history.

The closest approach of the planets was recorded in 2003, when Earth and Mars were only 34.8 million miles (56 million kilometers) apart.

The greatest distance between the planets is possible when the Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the Sun. The distance from Earth to Mars in such conditions will be 250 million miles (401 million kilometers) from each other.

The average distance from Earth to Mars is 140 million miles (225 million km).

Light speed

Light travels at about 186.282 miles per second (299,792 km per second). Thus, the sun's rays reflected from the surface of Mars will reach the Earth in the following amount of time:

At the closest approach of the planets - 182 seconds, or just over 3 minutes;
With an average distance of 751 seconds, or just over 12.5 minutes;
At the minimum approach of the planets - 1342 seconds, or just over 22 minutes.

The fastest spacecraft at the moment.

The fastest spacecraft to leave Earth's orbit is NASA's New Horizons robotic interplanetary station, whose primary mission was to explore the planet Pluto. In January 2006, New Horizons left Earth's orbit at 36,000 miles per hour (58,000 km per hour).

At this speed, the New Horizons spacecraft would take the following amount of time to reach Mars:

At the closest approach of the planets - 942 hours (39 days);
With an average distance - 3888 hours (162 days);
With the minimum approach of the planets - 6944 hours (289 days).

All of the above calculations of the distance from Earth to Mars were measured in a straight line.

But in reality, the distance that the spacecraft will travel, flying from Earth to Mars, will be greater than the calculated one in a straight line. This is due to the fact that the planets are in a mobile state all the time, they rotate in their orbits around the Sun.

And engineers always have to calculate the orbits of spacecraft to send them to Mars. Engineers also calculate the exact location of the planet when the satellite will fly up.

Video about when is the best time to fly to Mars

By the way, you can find out for yourself the most suitable date for the next flight to Mars. To do this, you can use one of 3D models of the solar system describing the motion of the planets.

A small list of spacecraft and the amount of time they flew to Mars:

"Mariner 4"- is the first spacecraft to explore Mars from a flyby trajectory (rendezvous with Mars in 1964). The device took 228 days to reach Mars;
"Mariner 6"(rendezvous in 1969) - it took the spacecraft 155 days to reach Mars;
"Mariner 7"(rendezvous in 1969) - it took the spacecraft 128 days to reach Mars;
"Mariner 9"(the first spacecraft that entered the orbit of Mars - 1971) - the spacecraft took 168 days to reach Mars;
"Viking 1"(the first spacecraft that landed on the surface of Mars - 1975) - the spacecraft took 304 days to reach Mars;
"Viking 2"(rendezvous and landing on Mars in 1975) - it took the spacecraft 333 days to reach Mars;
"Mars Global Surveyor"(rendezvous 1996) - it took the spacecraft 308 days to reach Mars;
"Mars Pathfinder"(rendezvous 1996) - it took the spacecraft 212 days to reach Mars;
"Mars Odyssey"(rendezvous 2001) - it took the spacecraft 200 days to reach Mars;
"Mars Express Orbiter"(rendezvous 2003) - it took the spacecraft 201 days to reach Mars;
"Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter"(rendezvous in 2005) - it took the spacecraft 210 days to reach Mars;
Mars Science Laboratory / Curiosity rover(rendezvous in 2011) - it took the spacecraft 254 days to reach Mars.
(rendezvous in 2014) - it took the spacecraft 307 days to reach Mars.

Recently, the question of how long to fly to Mars has become more and more interesting for both people involved in science and ordinary users. On TV, the theme of the exploits of Elon Musk is more and more actively pedaling; on the federal channels of Russia, great efforts are being made to make him a fool. And we will try to figure out how long the path to the planet closest to Earth can really take.

It will be interesting!

How long to fly to Mars in time

It is worth clarifying right away that there is no uniform distance from Earth to Mars! The reason is that they have different orbits.

The orbit is the path of the planet, in our case around the Sun.

All planets solar system revolve around the star, but if you draw their path, it will not be a perfect circle, but rather an ellipse. By the way, this path of rotation of the planet around the star is called the year... At certain times, the planet is closer to the Sun, at other times - farther. As for Mars, it can move quite far away from the star, the Earth's orbit is more like a circle. It is thanks to this that there are no strong temperature changes on our planet.

So, in the picture below you can see the orbits of the Earth and Mars. As you could understand, at a certain moment these two planets are at a minimum distance from each other, as shown in the figure.

Orbits of the planets

This moment (when the Earth and Mars are at a minimum distance from each other) scientists call "opposition".

At the moment of opposition, the distance between the planets is 55 million kilometers.

How many light years is it and how long does light travel from Earth to Mars and vice versa?

According to official figures, one light year is equal to 9460730472580.800781 km. We divide 55 million by this number. So we find out how many light years it is.

55000000 / 9460730472580,800781 = 0.0000058135

This is 5 ppm light year... As we know, 1 light year is the distance (the same 9460730472580.800781 km) that light travels in a year. Therefore, in order to find out how much light flies from Mars to Earth at the moment of opposition, we multiply the year (converted into seconds) by the number that was obtained as a result of the previous action.

1 year = 3.154e + 7 seconds

(3.154e + 7) x 0.0000058135 = 183357.79

That is, we got 183 seconds. This is 183/60 = 3.05 minutes.

Thus, Mars can be reached in 3 minutes. But this is if you fly at the speed of light, which is 300 thousand km per second .

Unfortunately, humanity has not yet come even close to inventing a spaceship that can move at the speed of light. The fastest in our history spaceship is Voyager 1, which is already flying beyond the border of the solar system at a speed 62,140 km per hour.

Let's calculate how much is it from the speed of light... To do this, we divide the speed of light by the speed of Voyager:

300000 / 62140 = 4.83

That is, it is almost a fifth of the speed of light. On it to Mars you will need to fly 3.05 x 4.83 = 14.73 minutes.

That is, if we take Voyager 1, we will fly to Mars in 15 minutes. But the problem is, this is not a passenger spacecraft.

Voyager is a small disk with additional accessories.

Voyager 1

Weight Voyager is 721.9 kg. As for passenger vehicles that are capable of moving in space, there is no information about the fastest of them. For comparison, you can take a rocket Falcon 9 , which has completed more than 60 launches and delivers cargo to the ISS (International Space Station). It can be adapted for passengers as well. So she weighs 26.2 tons!

And that's a little more. Thanks to Elon Musk and company Spacex, which we will talk about later, we managed to reduce the weight as much as possible. Let's take a booster rocket for comparison Antares , which earlier also delivered cargo to the ISS. She weighs 240 tons , and the weight of the cargo for Antares and Falcon 9 is about the same.

These numbers help us understand that it is simply unrealistic to develop Voyager's speed today! Maximum speedFalcon 9 is 8350 km / h. But this rocket reaches such an indicator very rarely, for this you need to use all its resources. In addition, so far, even this advanced rocket is unable to survive the flight between the planets.

And yet, assuming that Musk or someone else can make the rocket fly at a speed of 8350 km / h, it will take 6586 hours or 274 days to fly to Mars.

55000000 / 8350 / 24 = 274.45

Recall that there are 365 days in a year. We will fly to Mars for 3/4 years! To understand this, we divided 274 by 365.

274/365 = 0.75 or 3/4

Very important point thing is the moment of "opposition" occurs once every 2 years.

That is, you can fly to Mars and back once every 2 years. You can, of course, try to fly and not at the moment of "opposition", when the planets are on greater distance apart. The maximum distance from Earth to Mars is 401 million km.

Since we calculated above that we will fly 55 million km for 274 days, then in order to understand how much we need to overcome 401 million km, we need to divide 401 by 55 and multiply by 274.

401/55 x 274 = 1997.7

Now let's calculate how old it is.

1997.7 / 365 = 5.47

From all of the above, we can draw one conclusion: we need to fly to Mars from 274 days to 5.47 years. And this is if the ship is flying at a speed of 8350 km / h. And this is only one way.

At the same time, in order to fly back, you will need to wait for a new "opposition".

Yes, they write that we can fly at a speed of 20 thousand km / h, but it is not specified which ship today can develop such a speed. We relied on the data that we have to date.

Flight conditions

Distance and time are not the only problems of such an ambitious project. Here are the main inconveniences that astronomers pay attention to:

As we said earlier, the planets do not stand still, but move in their orbits. therefore the ship must be sent not to where Mars is at the moment, but to where it will only be... It is very important to make accurate calculations. But modern science capable of it. Still, ships have already been sent to the "red planet", only without passengers. The calculations will be almost the same as before.

It is necessary to understand that for a flight over a distance of 55 million km will require a huge amount of fuel when it comes to manned flights. Again, there are no definite calculations in this regard, there are only projects. For example, a project by Robert Zubin suggests that 100 tons of fuel are needed for flight and return.
The equipment can break down and then it will be impossible to fix many breakdowns... On the ground or even to the ISS, you can quickly deliver some spare parts or other means for repairs. And in distant space, things can go wrong.
Astronauts will be affected by prolonged sleep deprivation, they may be violated mental condition due to the awareness of distance from home and time in flight. The body can stop working the way we used to. Therefore, it will be necessary to develop such ships that could fully simulate terrestrial conditions.

Speaking about the last point, it is also worth clarifying that until the middle of the journey, the ship will fly forward at maximum speed, and then turn the nozzles in order to gradually slow down. This will allow you not to crash into the "red planet", but quietly sit on it. Such maneuvers will also require a huge amount of resources. At the moment, humanity has such resources only in theory.

On the Internet, you can also meet adherents of conspiracy theories who say that space flights are basically impossible due to radiation, aliens and other things. Do not trust these ignorant people. People were in space and returned from there, and some are there now (on the ISS). The radiation belt does exist around the Earth, but it is not around its entire surface. It has a shape similar to ears, and if you fly between these "ears", it is quite possible to get into space. Thus, people flew to the moon, in the same way they will fly to Mars.

The radiation belt around the Earth

With this example, we would like to show that ignorance and stupidity is one of the biggest problems of human development and flights to Mars in particular ... There are projects and there are people who are ready to implement them. We will talk about this.

Mars One and other projects

There are 5 main projects of human flight to Mars:

Spacex... This is the brainchild of the very Elon Musk, which we talked about above. According to the owner of the company, a person will set foot on the "red planet" in 2024! Until then, it is planned to gradually deliver goods and even install some elements of the base, where people will live in the future. I'd like to believe that Musk will succeed! At least a Tesla car has already been launched into Mars orbit.

Mars one... An equally well-known project led by Bas Lansdorp. And one of the famous personalities who supported this idea was Gerard Hooft, a very respected scientist, owner Nobel Prize... They planned to build a colony on Mars, put people there and show life on TV. This would be the highest rated TV show in human history! But in early 2019, the project was closed due to the bankruptcy of Mars One Ventures, the company that dealt with it. Perhaps in the future it will still be reborn.

The Mars One Colony That Was Never Built

Inspiration Mars Foundation. Another interesting project, which may take place very soon. Dennis Tito plans to send a manned expedition to Mars, which will not land on the planet, but simply fly around it. All of this should happen in January 2020 - just when the next "opposition" will take place.
It's pretty secret project, about which little information is given on the Internet. It is known that a Mars rover is now being created and its own. They also write that they first want to send a robot to the "red planet" that will conduct certain research work... It is not known when the person will be sent.
Hundred-Year Starship... Finally, a project from NASA. According to the terms of the project, the company plans to send people to Mars on an irrevocable basis. They will colonize the planet closest to us. NASA people plan to make their first flight in 2030.

Also, China, Russia and some other countries announced their plans at one time.... But they had no specifics. It turns out that at the moment Elon Musk and his SpaceX are the most realistic contender to be the first to land a man on Mars. Over time, other companies will catch up with them, in particular NASA. And representatives of the Inspiration Mars Foundation can be the first to see the "red planet" with their own eyes!

How much fuel is needed to fly to Mars

Let's go back to the question of fuel. Still, it is fundamental. At the moment, there are several promising species of it that can help a person get to the planet closest to us:

Nuclear missiles... It uses mainly the combustion of hydrogen or other liquefied fuel. This is a type of fuel well known to mankind, which is still used in rockets. The principle is that when burned, fuel is ejected from the nozzle and propels the ship forward.

Nuclear rocket

Magnetism... Enough interesting idea, which has already been tested - with the help of a radio wave, the fuel is heated and ionized. This produces a plasma that propels the ship forward. At the moment, the device in which such a reaction occurs is going to be installed at the International Space Station... This does not mean that the ISS will fly somewhere - it will simply be supported in its orbit. This technology is cheaper than nuclear fuel.
Antimatter... This is the most ambitious and unusual view fuel. The bottom line is that when particles of ordinary matter and antimatter combine, a huge amount of energy is released. It can be used to move the ship.

Antimatter, according to some scientists, can be used not just for flights to Mars, but for interstellar flights! It is this type of fuel that can allow humanity to be close to the speed of light.... If we continue to develop this technology, over time we will be able to get to Mars in 3-4 minutes.

A flight to the "red planet" will require 10 mg of antimatter, which costs $ 250 million. This is relatively small. But what prospects are opening up for humanity. On other planets, we will be able to find and use new resources. For example, if you collect just a spoonful of hydrocarbons on Titan (Saturn), this will be enough to provide all the equipment on Earth for several years. And these resources are there in the form of lakes, falling like rain. You don't even need to build mines - just pick and assemble!

But this is so far only a lyrical digression. Let's go back to Mars and consider what the astronauts will face when, after all.

Martian reality

The reality on Mars will be pretty harsh - this needs to be said right away. Here are the main problems that the early settlers will face:

Atmosphere. 96% of the atmosphere on the "red planet" is carbon dioxide, so a person cannot breathe there. You need to constantly walk in protective suits and, most likely, learn how to get oxygen right on Mars, from local resources.
Sand storms. This happens very often and one such storm can destroy all equipment, damage suits and ultimately kill an astronaut. It will not work to hide from the sand, because a storm can spread to the entire planet, and such a horror can last for several days. We'll have to stay close to the shelters. Perhaps they will come up with some kind of fast-folding houses or rovers that will not be afraid of storms.
Radiation. According to the legendary Curiosity, the "red planet" has 662 mSv. On Earth, this figure is 2.4 mSv. It should also be borne in mind that during the flight, astronauts will receive 1 Sv each, just being in space and will definitely fall under solar flare... This cannot be avoided due to the length of the flight. The idea of Rutherford and Appleton, who calculated that for effective protection, a magnetic field several hundred meters in size could be organized on the ship can help here.
Physical diseases. At such a distance from home and hospitals, it is impossible to obtain adequate medical assistance... In addition, new diseases, hitherto unknown to mankind, will develop on an alien planet. Doctors will have to prepare very well for missions to Mars, do more research, and be careful not to transfer bacteria from Earth to the landing site.

However, being in space in itself will have a negative impact. In the course of research, scientists have found that a person's gastrointestinal tract will at least begin to work worse and tumors, both malignant and benign, will develop. Therefore, it will be necessary to include in the list of cargo and means for removing tumors, possibly, physical impact on them. That is, you need to come up with a remedy that will kill tumors. There are already such developments. For example, Canadian scientists recently found out that the spread of cancer cells is affected by high level protein AXL in HER2-positive cancer cells. Therefore, to overcome it, you need to take drugs aimed at AXL.

Mental diseases. Long absence on the home planet, an enclosed space, the same people and much more will have an extremely detrimental effect on astronauts. Various experiments have shown that people in such conditions are very prone to depressive states. They are unable to think sensibly and make informed decisions. It will be necessary to send very strong mentally people to Mars, who, moreover, should be well trained before the flight. They must remove the fear of confined spaces and the feeling of being away from home.
Weak gravity. This creates problems with the physical form of people. If on Earth you can stay thin without physical exercise, it won't be possible in space. But the solution here is quite simple - you will need to do a lot of sports. Actually, what else should the astronauts do?
Limited diet... The astronauts will eat only what can grow in space, and this is spinach, beans, lettuce and several other types of vegetables. Therefore, eating a juicy steak or something similar in space is impossible. But you can get used to it. Actually, some on our planet eat something similar.

It is worth remembering about unforeseen circumstances that may arise while away from home. What if aliens do exist? Does this mean that we will have to ask them for permission to go to the "red planet". However, morally strong people can also cope with this. These will be selected for the flight to Mars.

conclusions

As you can see modern technologies and some advanced developments can solve most of the problems that a person may face when flying to Mars and directly during his life on the "red planet". Yes, there will be people who will say that all this is impossible and that a flight to a neighboring planet is nothing more than a fantasy.

Actually, scientists from NASA and now laugh at the plans of the mask for the colonization of Mars. Their reasoning is simple - yet humanity does not have the right technology. But our review above shows that, in general, they are... You just need someone really smart and someone who will not listen to others. It should be a purposeful person who is respected and respected and financially respected. I would like to believe that this is Elon Musk!

In general, a flight to Mars is more than real. ! Do not believe the liars and skeptics who talk about cosmic conspiracy theories. They have no reasoning and logic. For example, they say that there is the same Van Allen radiation belt, but for some reason they do not have enough intelligence to read about what it is, how it can be bypassed and what is the level of this very radiation. The same applies to flights to Mars. They somewhere once heard that this is impossible because radiation, diseases, etc. But no one bothered to read about how all this can be overcome.

If we take into account all the projects for the colonization of Mars, then we can conclude that a person will set foot on the "red planet" no later than 2035! And if Musk succeeds, it will happen at a maximum of 2024.

How much to fly from Earth to Mars we will figure it out in this article. On April 12, 1961, man first left his home planet and flew into space.

It became worldwide famous astronaut USSR Yuri Gagarin. Since then, a considerable part of the intellectual resource of civilization has been directed to the study of extraterrestrial space.

There has already been a flight to the moon, but not yet to Mars, although the world scientific community is already actively discussing this topic. For example, the general director and concurrently chief engineer of SpaceX, Elon Musk, plans to make the first flight to one of the closest (after Venus) neighbors of the Earth within 3-5 years.

In addition, according to the calculations of the same Musk, in about 20 years it will be possible to reach Mars in 80 days. However, in the current realities, it will most likely take a little longer.

Distance

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun after Mercury, Venus and Earth.

It may take one amount of time to reach it today, but another amount will be required to get to Mars tomorrow.

The fact is that the distance between the planets is not a fixed value. The distance changes due to the movement of the planets in their orbits. The planets are located farthest from each other when they are on opposite sides of their paths of motion.

Under these circumstances, Mars will be more than 400 million kilometers from our planet. The minimum theoretical distance is about 54 million kilometers, but it has never been recorded.

In 2003, the Hubble telescope, placed in Earth orbit, recorded a distance of 56 million kilometers between Earth and Mars.

Time required

The speed of light reaches almost 300 thousand kilometers per second. Therefore, light from Earth to Mars will reach for:

in the case of a minimum distance - 3.03 minutes;
in the case of an average distance - 12.52 minutes;
in case of maximum distance - 22.37 minutes.

The most powerful spacecraft at the moment is considered "New Horizons", owned by NASA. It is capable of speeds up to 58,000 km / h, which is more than 18,000 times lower than the speed of light.

Given the real power of "New Horizons", you can calculate the amount of time it will take to get from Earth to the fourth planet from the Sun:

in the case of a minimum distance - a little more than 39 days;
in the case of an average distance - 162 days;
in the case of the maximum distance - a little more than 289 days.

It's important to know: it is worth considering the fact that the calculations were made from the condition of motion in a straight line from one planet to another. Therefore, the time data may differ slightly when planning a real flight.

Over the past few decades, the space industry has slowed down in its development.

Indeed, after landing on the moon on July 16, 1969, there were no more such resonant events related to space.

In the 21st century, more leaps have taken place in other areas, such as the development of consumer electronics and communication networks.

This course of history does not suit NASA and SpaceX, which are trying to catch up and actively develop the space industry. Some even plan to turn Mars into a colony, but this may not happen until after 100 years.