How long would it take to reach your chosen exoplanets?

Subject :

With the ongoing discovery of exoplanets, it is likely that we will identify a nearby one showing signs of life. At that point, space missions, both crewed and uncrewed, will be essential for exploring extraterrestrial life. How long will these space missions take?

Currently, the fastest uncrewed spacecraft is New Horizons, which travels at 58,540 km/h, while the fastest crewed spacecraft is Apollo 10, reaching 39,900 km/h. Furthermore, the fastest spacecraft ever recorded is the Parker Solar Probe, which uses Venus’s gravitational pull to orbit the Sun. It reaches a top speed of 692,000 km/h, making it the fastest spacecraft ever.
Engineers are optimistic about the feasibility of building a spacecraft capable of traveling at speeds exceeding 1,000 km/s.

Objectives :

• Manipulating distances in the universe
• Estimating travel times within the Solar System and to reach exoplanets
• Choosing appropriate units of distance and time for the results

Level :Any

Duration : About one hour

Prerequisites

• Units used by astronomers
• The equation that links speed, distance, and time
• What is an exoplanet?

Material required:

activity to be carried out in groups (ideally in pairs):

• 1 pencil or mechanical pencil per student
• 1 eraser per student
• 1 sheet of A4 paper per student

Subject, correction :

• Activity map

Author: Iharka CSILLIK, Romanian Academy, Astronomical Institute, Observatory of Cluj-Napoca