The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of approximately 220 miles (354 km), which places it in low Earth orbit (LEO). This distance can change, however, and has varied from 205 miles (330 km) to a planned maximum of 248 miles (400 km).
The Moon is an average of 238,855 miles (384,400 km) away. When the Moon is farthest away, it is 252,088 miles away. When it is closest, the Moon is 225,623 miles away. How long it will take to get to the Moon varies on many things including where the two are positioned at the time of the flight going and returning. The fastest crewed flight to the moon was Apollo 8. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit just 69 hours and 8 minutes after launch according to NASA. Landing a craft on the Moon, returning to the spacecraft, and returning to Earth is a more difficult estimation.
What should we consider when going to Mars? Mars and Earth are farthest apart when they are both at aphelion and on opposite sides of the sun. Then, they can be 250 million miles (401 million km) apart. The average distance between Earth and Mars is 140 million miles (225 million km). Neither Earth nor Mars’ orbit is perfectly circular, so the distance between the two is constantly changing. A one-way trip to Mars would take nine months but a return journey would be around three years.
The temperature on Mars is much colder than on Earth because the planet is farther from the sun. Mars also has a thin atmosphere that is 95 percent carbon dioxide. This combination of factors makes Mars a harsh and cold world whose temperature can drop to as low as minus 200 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 128 degrees Celsius). As a point of comparison, the lowest recorded temperature on Earth is minus 128.6 degrees F (minus 88 degrees C) in Antarctica. The highest temperature on Mars is 70 degrees F (21 degrees C), significantly below the highest temperature recorded on Earth, at 134 degrees F (56 degrees C).
The Moon is a minimum of 1,100 times farther than the ISS and Mars is 640,000 times farther than the ISS. The ISS is considered in a low orbit of the Earth and the obstacles of going to and returning from Mars are many times greater. We already know that human life cannot exist on Mars. Goals are important for individuals and for a nation; however, goals must serve a purpose that makes sense. This question should be answered when the goal has been reached.
“What have we improved by attaining our goal?”
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