Results: This is part 3 of measurement standards for distances, depths, speeds and others that are intended to give us some perspective. We have a sense of what a mile is, or how high 1,000 feet is . These are small scale. But what about a much larger scale?
Speed records are made to be broken and many such records have been broken in our lifetimes. Yet such is the scale of our universe that even the fastest speed humans have reached so far is insignificant compared to what happens in the cosmos and what humans must eventually achieve if we are to explore it.
1.
1.
Here are some record speeds we have been able to achieve so far. Which of them were you aware of?
The fastest a human has ever run is 27.78 miles per hour (44.72 kilometers per hour), a record set by Usain Bolt in 2009. Bolt reached this speed during his 100-meter dash at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, where he finished the race in 9.58 seconds.
32%
•
665 votes
The fastest street legal car we can buy is the SSC Tuatara. This car has a twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 1,750 horsepower and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds. It has a top speed of 295 mph.
8%
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167 votes
The current holder of the Outright World Land Speed Record is the ThrustSSC , a twin turbofan jet-powered car which achieved 763.035 mph - 1227.985 km/h - over one mile in October 1997. The Thrust SuperSonic Car was the first vehicle to break the sound barrier.
8%
•
171 votes
The fastest speed a human has ever traveled is 24,816.1 miles per hour (39,937.7 kilometers per hour), which was achieved by the Apollo 10 command module on May 26, 1969. The crew of Apollo 10 reached this speed during their return from lunar orbit.
11%
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227 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
•
11 votes
Not Applicable
56%
•
1178 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
| 0.40% | 5 | |
| That bit about a toddler when asked what's in her mouth... | 0.08% | 1 |
| none | 0.08% | 1 |
| 4 minute mile | 0.08% | 1 |
| Too much reading on the Survey | 0.08% | 1 |
| None! | 0.08% | 1 |
| Heard and saw some in survey here | 0.08% | 1 |
2.
2.
The speeds outlined in Q1 are impressive to some extent but insignificant compared to what humans will need to achieve in the future. Here are some challenges we will face. Which of them were you aware of?
The speed needed to escape Earth's gravity is 11.186 kilometers per second (km/s), or about 40,270 kilometers per hour (km/h). This is known as the escape velocity.
9%
•
179 votes
A manned spacecraft typically travels to the moon at a speed of about 3,333 miles per hour (mph). This speed takes about three days to reach the moon, which is an average distance of 240,000 miles from Earth.
8%
•
159 votes
Missions to Mars are usually timed to take advantage of a good planetary alignment. The average time to reach Mars is 7 months but to then return to Earth from there takes much longer unless new forms of propulsion are used.
6%
•
129 votes
A round trip to Mars has to factor in where Mars will be when we get there and where Earth will be when we return. They each have their own orbits. The distance from Earth to Mars can be anywhere from 33.9 million miles (54.6 million km) to 250 million miles (401 million km). A miscalculation in speed, orbit, distance etc. could mean missing Mars or Earth entirely.
5%
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105 votes
If you were to take such a trip, don't expect to be able to call home and chat with family. The time delay between Earth and Mars for a radio signal to travel can range from 3 to 21 minutes, depending on the relative positions of the planets. The delay is caused by the speed of light, the fastest known speed in the universe at approx 186,000 miles per second which makes it difficult to communicate with astronauts on Mars in real time.
5%
•
102 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
•
21 votes
Not Applicable
67%
•
1405 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
| 0.72% | 5 | |
| All of the above | 0.29% | 2 |
| #2, 3, 4, 5 | 0.14% | 1 |
| Who even cares? | 0.14% | 1 |
| why can i pick only one? | 0.14% | 1 |
| all of them | 0.14% | 1 |
| Some combo of these. | 0.14% | 1 |
| All | 0.14% | 1 |
| Cell phone service to Mars isn't very good either. | 0.14% | 1 |
| All, but it would not let me choose more than one. | 0.14% | 1 |
| this question should let people choose multiple options | 0.14% | 1 |
| unaware of any of these awesome | 0.14% | 1 |
| familiar with all of them | 0.14% | 1 |
| Tell her to call collect | 0.14% | 1 |
| None! | 0.14% | 1 |
| Maybe heard and seen years ago? | 0.14% | 1 |
3.
3.
If you read the book or saw the movie "The Martian" you will know that even a relatively simple visit to Mars and back requires solutions to problems we have never had to face before. Here are some of them. Which of them were you aware of?
Both Earth and Mars have (almost) circular orbits. There is one fuel-efficient way to travel to Mars, then spend enough time there to select the best orbit for the return. This "window" is around 259 days and is only possible approximately every two years due to the different orbits around the Sun of Earth and Mars. A spacecraft could reach Mars in a shorter time but it would cost more fuel to do it that way.
15%
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312 votes
The biggest challenge is the mass of the payload (spacecraft, people, fuel, supplies etc) needed to make the journey. It will be like launching its weight in gold. The payload mass is just a small percentage of the total mass of the launch vehicle. The payload for the Apollo mission was only 2% of what blasted off.
13%
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266 votes
Suppose we get to Mars. The next challenge is landing. A spacecraft entering Earth can use the drag of the atmosphere to slow it down. The atmosphere on Mars is 100 times thinner so it isn't possible to land safely without some kind of aid. Some missions may use airbags.
10%
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200 votes
The thin atmosphere on Mars means it can't retain heat as well as Earth doe., Life on Mars has extremes in temperature during the day/night cycle with a max. temp of 30°C, which sounds quite pleasant, but its min. temp is -140°C. We will need to be very selective where we live on Mars and how we manage night temperature.
12%
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257 votes
Mars gravity is 38% of Earth's but the air is mostly CO2 with some nitrogen, so it's completely unbreathable. We will need to build a climate-controlled place just to live there. We will have to send several cargo flights with critical iitems such as greenhouses, solar panels and fuel-production for our return to Earth.
12%
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250 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
•
13 votes
Not Applicable
65%
•
1358 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
| 0.46% | 6 | |
| This is soooooooooooooooo boring. | 0.08% | 1 |
| Solar radiation on Mars. | 0.08% | 1 |
| All of the above | 0.08% | 1 |
| unaware of these | 0.08% | 1 |
| Wow | 0.08% | 1 |
| None! | 0.08% | 1 |
| All are fact based so important for future information, and may be needed for survival | 0.08% | 1 |
4.
4.
Given the time, distances, and energy requirements we will have to pack as lightly as possible while at the same time packing everything we need since, if we forget to pack something, this omission could cause our death. Here are some items we probably should NOT pack. Which of these items do you agree should be left behind?
Religion
23%
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473 votes
Politics
35%
•
734 votes
Romantic relationships between crew members.
20%
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414 votes
Patriotism
15%
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318 votes
Egotism
36%
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755 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
•
20 votes
Not Applicable
43%
•
908 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
| 0.29% | 8 | |
| Depending on what's meant by egotism, none of them should be scuttled. | 0.04% | 1 |
| This survey creator. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Probably all of them to a certain degree. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Most human qualities | 0.04% | 1 |
| Everything. Stay on Earth and use space program bazillions $$$ to fix problems humans created here. | 0.04% | 1 |
| A towel | 0.04% | 1 |
| The need to money. especially the capitalistic system. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Inequality, hatred, jealousy, greed, war... | 0.04% | 1 |
| discrimination | 0.04% | 1 |
| Which way the toilet paper roll should hang, and whether the chicken comes before the egg. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Attachments- you will need clear mindedness. | 0.04% | 1 |
| OH YEH! | 0.04% | 1 |
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