7. The Vastness Of Space
Mars is far away. Like really, really far away. Its our close neighbour, but when we talk of things that are close in a cosmological sense, were on a different scale completely. So although hitting a target the size of a planet with a lander at least the size of a van sounds like an easy task when you consider what a football player gets paid millions of pounds to do, it actually isnt. The Earth moves at about 66,500 miles/hour (107,000 km) and Mars moves about 53,900 miles/hour (86,900 km) around the Sun along different paths. At their closest approach, Mars and Earth are still around 37,180,000 miles away from each other (59,840,000 km). Thats the equivalent distance of 1500 or so trips around the Earth. A launch to Mars will have to take all these factors into consideration to hit the target. Why Is This Bad News? In 1992 the Mars Observer was lost prior to Mars arrival. In the 80s the launches of Phobos 1 and 2 were both lost near the moon of their namesake. Accidents, whether it be technical or human, happen. A manned Mars mission could have the same fate. A lander that missed the mark would either transit deep space indefinitely or get pulled in by the gravitational force of another planet, moon or the Sun. Any of these options wouldnt be ideal to say the least. Lets face it, theres a reason astronauts are tethered during space walks. The prospect of drifting through the infinity of space wouldnt be as glamorous or fun as Star Trek might make it seem.