You Can't Just Fly to Mars. Here's the Only Way.

Added: 2026-04-28

[00:00:05]Aim at empty space where Mars will be in 7 months. The launch window opens every 26 months when Earth and Mars align just right. Miss it and you wait over 2 years while the planets drift apart. The path is an arc, half an ellipse, reaching from Earth's orbit to meet Mars on the far side. Once you leave, there's no shortcut. 7 months of silence, engines off, carried only by momentum. Then arrival, the atmosphere hits, a heat shield burning at 2,000°.

[00:00:40]7 minutes of terror. Every mission has followed this path. The same arc, the same long wait in the dark. Space doesn't give you straight lines, only orbits, timing, and one chance to get it right.