4 ms·
So earth and mars are circling the sun in the same direction, anticlockwise. Earth has a shorter orbit and is also going nearly 25% faster. If earth's at 12 o
by barking 11y ago
So earth and mars are circling the sun in the same direction, anticlockwise.
Earth has a shorter orbit and is also going nearly 25% faster.
If earth's at 12 o'clock, where is mars and what direction
(N,S,E,W etc) do we aim a rocket for the shortest journey?
- exDM69 11y ago> If earth's at 12 o'clock, where is mars and what direction (N,S,E,W etc) do we aim a rocket for the shortest journey? Mars would be about 45 degrees ahead of Earth, and we aim the rocket so that when it "exits Earth's gravity" (keyword: hyperbolic excess velocity), it will travel in a path that is parallel with Earth's orbit but faster, so the trajectory will be an ellipse with the highest point around Mars' orbit. When the space craft arrives at Mars many months later, both planets have travelled a significant distance.
- dvh 11y agoHi, some time ago I mentioned space simulator, if you are still interested I just added it to chrome web store as app, it is unlisted but you can find it here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/callisto-space-simulator/nahngjoliloconljdnpdeknknooehbjo https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/callisto-space-sim...
- Tepix 11y agoThe most efficient way to get to Mars is nicely explained in Chapter 21 of "From Stargazers to Starships": http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Smars1.htm http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Smars1.htm You are asking for the "shortest journey" however. Well, the shortest journey would be to accelerate to the speed of light when they are pretty much closest to each other and arrive a couple of minutes later. Not very feasible as of 2015.
- barking 11y agovery helpful link thanks