How many miles (kilometers) will the spacecraft fly to Mars, and how many miles (kilometers) will the Earth be from Mars on arrival day (4 July, 1997)?
Because the path which the spacecraft takes to get to Mars, essentially “catching up” to the planet, it will travel approximately 312 million miles (500 million kilometers) in its seven month journey. However, when Pathfinder actually arrives at the planet, the Earth and Mars will be separated by approximately 120 million miles (200 million kilometers). –Dave Spencer, Mars Pathfinder Trajectory and Navigation Team Member Back to the top of the page.
