Flying into space and exploring distant worlds has always been of interest to mankind. Even the most ancient civilizations made telescopes, studied the starry sky, trying to find answers to the questions of being in it. On the sky were guided and in it searched for gods.
The more mankind developed, the more knowledge is gained, and the interest in space continued to grow. Having visited the Moon, of course, a man wanted to visit the planet closest to the Earth - Mars. And scientific development - from carriages to hadron collider - for the last 150 years makes people think seriously about colonization of other worlds.
Why fly to Mars?
The Red Planet is the most obvious object of research for scientists.
The main goals of the trip are to search for extraterrestrial life, to study the planet and its history in greater depth, to prepare for further colonization and to develop necessary technologies. Materials on the topic: How do astronauts sleep in space? Is there or has there been anywhere other than Earth, life is one of the main questions of mankind. Mars, on the other hand, is an ideal place to start searching, as it is the most similar to the Earth. Exploring the geology of Mars from its surface will help to better understand the history of the planet. While the Earth was growing and forming, Mars was already going through serious climatic changes and cataclysms. Therefore, having understood Mars, we will better understand the Earth.
Journey to the Red Planet will provide the necessary understanding of the effects of space and interplanetary travel on humans. This will be one of the most important steps in the history of mankind.
How much light goes to Mars?
Since the planets rotate continuously around the Sun, the distance of Mars to the star and Earth is constantly changing. Accordingly, and the light sent from a particular point to the planet at different times, will get a different amount of time. First, let's see how long it takes for the light sent from the Earth to fly. The distance between the planets varies in the range from 55 to 400 million km. At the minimum distance, the light, with a speed of 299,792 km/s, comes from Earth to Mars in 3 minutes, at a maximum - for 22 minutes. The distance between Mars and the Sun is 227,990,000 km. Light from the star reaches the red planet in about 12 minutes and 40 seconds. Materials on the subject: Why are the craters on the Moon round and not oval?
How many flew to Mars?
Even though Mars was not stepped on human feet, scientists have long been interested in the planet and since 1964 began to send various devices and devices for a more detailed study of the Red Planet.
- The first mission to explore Mars was carried out in 1964 when the U.S. sent a device called Mariner-4 to the orbit of a distant planet. The device flew 228 days. He provided scientists with 21 photographs.
- Mariner-6 was sent to Mars in 1969. The flight to the Red Planet orbit lasted 155 days. As a result of this mission, scientists received data on the atmosphere and temperature on the surface.
- Mariner-7 was shipped in the same year, acting as a backup. Its way took 128 days. Mariner-9 was sent in 1971, it took him 168 days to reach Mars. This device became the first artificial satellite of the planet, for its short existence (until October 1972), he managed to create a map of the surface of Mars.
- Interesting facts about space Viking-1 became the first spacecraft, whose mission was to land on the surface. It took him 304 days to get there.
- Viking-2 reached 333 days and the main task was to find a life. More than 16 thousand images were taken with the help of the device. The photos were colorful, which gave a completely new look at Mars.
- Mars Pathfinder, launched in 1996, reached the Red Planet in 183 days. The device studied the local soil. Mars Express is a space station of the European Space Agency. It was on its way for 201 days.
- Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was the first scout to be sent in 2005 to find a place where the first colonists could land. The journey took 210 days.
- The Maven spacecraft, launched in 2013, studied the planet's atmosphere and reached it for 307 days.
- The Soviet Union was unlucky enough to study Mars, and there were many failed launches and breakdowns during the flight. Venus was much more successful. Let's bring the data: the Soviet apparatus of Mars-1 flew to Mars for 230 days. Such a significant difference in the duration of flights appears because of the different locations of the two planets.
Technical development cannot seriously affect travel time - in most cases the duration depends on complex mathematical calculations, consisting in the analysis of the orbits of two celestial bodies.