It’s easy to forget how far away Mars really is. We hear about missions heading there, robotic rovers landing, and plans to send humans one day—but what if you tried to reach the Red Planet using something familiar, like a commercial airplane?
Let’s say you’re on a Boeing 747, cruising steadily at around 900 kilometers per hour (560 mph). That’s the same speed you’d travel flying from New York to London in about six hours. Now, imagine maintaining that speed nonstop, without ever landing… for 28 and a half years.
Yes, 28.5 years.
That’s how long it would take to cover the 225 million kilometers (on average) that separate Earth and Mars. For comparison:
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You’d circle the Earth more than 5,600 times in that time.
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A baby born on board would become an adult before arrival.
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You’d go through nearly 10,000 movies, assuming one every 2.5 days.
Of course, this isn’t remotely possible in reality. Planes can’t fly in space. There’s no air for lift, no oxygen for combustion, and no protection from deadly radiation. But this thought experiment helps us understand just how vast even our own solar system is—and how impressive current space technology has become.
Today’s spacecraft can reach Mars in 6 to 9 months by traveling tens of thousands of kilometers per hour. Even then, it’s a monumental effort requiring precise timing and incredible energy.
So next time you complain about a long flight, just remember: a trip to Mars by airplane would be the longest layover in history.
