> 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

> 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.