need answer fast
2007-05-23 03:33:38 · 5 answers · asked by joseph g 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Depends on your speed.
New Horizons, the fastest spacecraft ever launched, was launched in 2006, and will arrive at Pluto in 2015. So 9 years.
2007-05-23 03:39:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is not a simple question to answer and you can't just point at pluto from earth and fire away and expect to get there. This is because everything in the solar system is moving and pluto won't be there when you arrive!
The length of time depends on the type of transfer orbit you use or any gravitational sling shot assistance you use to get there. In my opinion, it's best to abandon the straight line distance between earth and pluto divided by speed to derive time approach. It will not work...
To further complicate things, pluto has an eccentricity of 0.248 and, I believe pluto was closer to the Sun than neptune before 1999 than it is now??(I can't verify that). If you are a scientist, whose job is planning a mission to pluto, I certainly wouldn't want to work on that job.
2007-05-23 05:58:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, the distance of Pluto from the Sun is 5914 Million kilometers. So, it's about 5700+ million km from us. Light can travel there in about 5 hours.
2007-05-23 03:46:25 · answer #3 · answered by iman 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Without trying to be witty, depends on how fast your spaceship travelled. As an indicator, it would take 120 years to drive to the sun!
2007-05-23 03:38:30 · answer #4 · answered by IAN B 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it would take over a million years even at light speed.
2007-05-23 10:45:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 5⤋