All electromagnetic waves (light, radio, etc.) travel through vacuum at the well

Question

All electromagnetic waves (light, radio, etc.) travel through vacuum at the well-known speed of 3x108 meters/second.

a) When the Earth and Mars are at their closest, they are 55,700,000 kilometers apart. How long would it take to send a radio signal to Mars from the Earth at that separation?

b) Suppose that you are controlling a rover that can run around on the surface of Mars and you control it from Earth with a radio control box. Cameras on the rover let you see the surface, so you can tell where you are going. What does your answer to part (b) tell you about challenges you may face in driving the rover?

Explanation / Answer

From the given question,

speed of electromagnetic waves(v)= 3*10^8 m/s

a) distance between Earth and Mars= 55,700,000 km= 557*10^8 m

Time taken to send a radio signal to Mars from the Earth= (557*10^8 m)/(3*10^8 m/s)

=185.7 sec

b) The rover cannot run around the surface smoothly as it will take around three minutes to communicate with the rover. This may lead rover going in wrong direction.

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