How to Calculate Radar Signal Round-Trip Time Between Earth and Mars

What is the formula to calculate the round-trip time for a radar signal between Earth and Mars?

A. Time = Distance / Speed of Light

B. Time = 2 x Distance / Speed of Light

C. Time = Distance / 2 x Speed of Light

D. Time = 2 x Distance / 2 x Speed of Light

The answer is B. Time = 2 x Distance / Speed of Light

When calculating the round-trip time for a radar signal between Earth and Mars, we use the formula: Time = 2 x Distance / Speed of Light.

Distance represents the distance between Earth and Mars, which in this case is 1.3 AU (Astronomical Units).

Speed of Light is a constant value in a vacuum, which is approximately 299,792 kilometers per second.

By plugging in the values, we get: Time = 2 x 1.3 AU / 299,792 km/s = 8.7 seconds.

Therefore, the radar signal would take approximately 8.7 seconds to complete a round-trip between Earth and Mars when the two planets are 1.3 AU apart.

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