What is the approximate one-way travel time range for a signal between Earth and Mars?
Answer
Ranging from about 4 to 24 minutes
The physical distance between Earth and Mars, dictated by their differing orbital paths around the Sun, causes significant variation in signal travel time, even when traveling at the speed of light. This latency means that communication is inherently delayed, ranging typically between 4 minutes on the low end and up to 24 minutes on the far end of the orbital separation. This substantial lag creates a minimum delay of eight minutes for any round trip, precluding any possibility of immediate, back-and-forth dialogue between controllers and the rover.
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