What is the DISTANCE between mars and moon?!

[SpaceLover987]

What is the minimum or average distance between Mars and the Earth's Moon?

How fast does a spaceship/rocket have to travel in km/h to go from Earth to reach the moon or mars? just a normal rocket/spaceship nothing specific?

And if you could: The working out for the distance and time it takes thanks

Is it better to launch the rocket from earth straight to mars?
Or is it better (less costly) to launch the rocket from the earth to the moon than to mars?

 

[captdude]

What is the closest or average distance between Mars and the Earth's Moon?

How fast does a spaceship/rocket have to travel in km/h to go from Earth to reach the moon or mars? just a normal rocket/spaceship nothing specific?

And if you could: The working out for the distance and time it takes thanks

Is it better to launch the rocket from earth straight to mars?
Or is it better (less costly) to launch the rocket from the earth to the moon than to mars?

As both Mars and Earth orbit the Sun (at different speeds) and both have slightly elliptical orbits this is not an easy question to answer because at some point Earth and Mars will be on opposite sides of the Sun and therefore very far apart while at other points they will both be on the same side of the Sun and therefore much closer together.


On average Mars orbits the Sun at a distance of 227,939,100 km
On average the Earth orbits the Sun at a distance of 149,597,888 km

Thus the distance between their "average" orbital paths is 78,341,212 Km. However, they would actually only be this distance from one another on rare occasions.
Depending on where they are in their respective orbits, they can be anywhere from 36 million miles to over 250 million miles apart.

The typical time during Mars's closest approach to the Earth every 1.6 years is about 260 days. Again, the details depend on the rocket velocity and the closeness of the planets, but 260 days is the number I hear most often give or take 10 days. Some high-speed transfer orbits could make the trip in as little as 130 days.

 

[SpaceLover987]

i still dont know what the distance is from the Earth's Moon to Mars... To work it out can you just take away the 'Earth to Moon's distance' from the 'earth's to mars distance?'

 

[bdewoody]

i still dont know what the distance is from the Earth's Moon to Mars... To work it out can you just take away the 'Earth to Moon's distance' from the 'earth's to mars distance?'

The distance from the earth to it's moon is approximately 250,000 miles. Virtually negligible when compared to the distance from either to Mars. As was statede in the initial response to your question the distance from the earth or earth's moon to Mars varies as both planets orbit the sun at different speeds. About once every 18 months the earth and Mars are at their closest approach.

Go to this web site to get your answer http://www.universetoday.com/14824/dist ... h-to-mars/

 

[SpaceLover987]

But what is the distance from Earth's Moon to Mars?

 

[MeteorWayne]

As has been repeatedly explained, it constantly varies.

Do your own homework!

 

[SpaceLover987]

As has been repeatedly explained, it constantly varies.

Do your own homework!

yeahh i know it varies... but i asked what is the minimum or average?! geez read the question properly before you answer!!!!!

 

[MeteorWayne]

How many times do you need the question answered?

 

[SpaceLover987]

How many times do you need the question answered?

How many times do you have to read the question before you can answer it right?

 

[SpaceLover987]

How many times do you need the question answered?

How many times do you have to read the question before you can answer it right?

Stop avoiding my question, I asked it first?

 

[ramparts]

SpaceLover, the most important point isn't that the distance varies (which you seem to get), but that the Earth-Moon distance is tiny compared to the Earth-Mars distance, so the Moon-Mars distance is essentially the same as the Earth-Mars distance.

Let's say I asked you what the distance was from San Francisco to Times Square. The answer is about 2578 miles. Now I ask you what's the distance from San Francisco to 50th and Broadway, which is a couple of blocks from Times Square. The answer is still 2578 miles because a couple of blocks is negligible compared to 2578 miles.

As people have said in this thread, the Earth-Mars distance varies from 36 million miles to 250 million miles. To get the range of Moon-Mars distances, you'd need to add/subtract the Earth-Moon distance which is about 200,000 miles, but that's nothing compared to, say, 250 million miles.

So for all intents and purposes, the Earth-Mars and Moon-Mars distances are the same, anywhere from 36 million miles to 250 million miles, more or less.

You can't possibly have any more questions now

 

[SteveCNC]

^^ what he said

however if your question was , which mission would be easier : earth to mars or moon to mars (forgetting that somehow you had to get to the moon in the first place) it would be moon to mars due to leaving a smaller gravity well .

but that would only be the case if the moon was fully self sustained and sending only what was born/manufactured/grown on the moon because other wise it's a double mission and far more costly .

Or the other possibility you may refer to is using the moon as a sling shot to hit mars which I believe would normally be done anyway but any time you need things like that to get somewhere you shrink your launch window which is small enough as it is .

 

[3488]

SpaceLover, this is a MODERATOR instruction.

Several posters including another Moderator have given their time & effort to explain the answer to you.

Do you have basic understandings of the architecture of the Solar System?

The everage distance from Earth's Moon to Mars is the same as the average Earth to Mars distance as the Moon orbits the Earth, so the average distances will be the same & vary as explained in posts above.

Please read through ALL of the answers provided by captdude , ramparts, Meteorwayne, SteveCNC & bdewoody. They have ALL given you the correct answer & also differing perspectives, all of which are correct.

That is a MODERATOR instruction aimed at SpaceLover.

I have decided to lock this thread, as the point has been thoroughly answered.

I thank captdude , ramparts, Meteorwayne, SteveCNC & bdewoody for their time & patience.

Andrew Brown.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Optimist :lol:

 

[3488]

Optimist :lol:

I know Wayne, but it makes me cross when someone asks a question & several members give time & effort to answer & the OP then almost 'trolls'. I have little patience with such behaviour.

Andrew.