This question is about our Solar System.
Which of the following bodies lies at one focus of the elliptical orbit of a comet in our Solar System?
Mars and Jupiter are planets in our Solar System. The table below shows some orbital data for these planets.
PlanetRadius of orbit in kmTime of orbit in daysMars228 000 000687Jupiter778 000 0004330\begin{array}{|c|c|c|} \hline \textbf{Planet} & \textbf{Radius of orbit in km} & \textbf{Time of orbit in days} \\ \hline \text{Mars} & 228\,000\,000 & 687 \\ \hline \text{Jupiter} & 778\,000\,000 & 4330 \\ \hline \end{array}PlanetMarsJupiterRadius of orbit in km228000000778000000Time of orbit in days6874330Calculate the orbital speed of Mars in km/day. Give your answer to 2 significant figures.
The distance between Mars and Jupiter varies significantly over time (between approximately 550 million km and 1000 million km). Explain why this distance is not constant.
Scientists communicate with a robotic rover on the surface of Mars using radio signals that travel at the speed of light, 300 000 km/s300\,000\text{ km/s}300000 km/s.
Show that when Mars and Earth are 240 000 000 km240\,000\,000\text{ km}240000000 km apart, it takes 800 s for a signal to travel this distance.
A scientist on Earth sends control signals to steer the rover on Mars. The rover is programmed to move at a very low speed, limited to 0.04 m/s. Suggest why the speed of the rover is kept so low.
