A flight of fantasy…

We know that the Solar system is

big. This task needs us to analyse
data then process and compare large
numbers.

Use the table of information on the planets to complete the following table,
starting with the planet closest to the sun. The planet closest to the sun has been
filled in for you:

Distance from sun Length of year in Temperature in

(Km) earth years (2d.p) centigrade
Mercury 57,910,000 0.24 420
Venus 108,000,000 0.62 460
Earth 150,000,000 1 22
Mars 228,000,000 1.88 -23
Jupiter 778,000,000 11.9 -240
Saturn 1,427,000,000 29.5 -300
Uranus 2,869,000,000 84 -410
Neptune 4,497,000,000 165 -410

It is quite hard to read the distances because of the zeros. Re-write the distances
in standard form (a x 10n where 1.0≤ a < 10), using the table to help you.

Distance from sun Product Standard Form

(Km)
Mercury 57,910,000 5.8 x 10 000 000 5.8 x 107
Venus 108,000,000 1.1 x 100 000 000 1.1 x 108
Earth 150,000,000 1.5 x 100 000 000 1.5 x 108
Mars 228,000,000 2.3 x 100 000 000 2.3 x 108
Jupiter 778,000,000 7.8 x 100 000 000 7.8 x 108
Saturn 1,427,000,000 1.4 x 1 000 000 000 1.4 x 109
Uranus 2,869,000,000 2.9 x 1 000 000 000 2.9 x 109
Neptune 4,497,000,000 4.5 x 1 000 000 000 4.5 x 109
Good news! Thomton Holidays have set up a new resort on Mars and you have won tickets
to go there.

How far is it from Planet Earth to Mars?

78 000 000Km
___________________________________________________________

There are 2 choices for your flight to Mars. The

standard flight is by the Martian Motion Mover space
ship. It travels at 100 000 km/h.
How long will the flight be from Earth to Mars?

78 000 000 ÷100 000 = 780 hours

780 ÷ 24 = 32.5 days

You can upgrade your space ship to the new State Of

the Art Light-Loco, this travels at about the speed of
light – a massive 300 000 km/second.

How long would your flight take on the Light-Loco?

78 000 000 ÷ 300 000 = 260 seconds =

4minutes 20 seconds.

Your flight leaves at 10:00 on 1st April. What is the arrival date and time by standard and
fast transport?

Standard : 22:00, 3rd May

Light-Loco : 10:04, 1st April

You have heard it can be quite hot on Mars and you need to
plan your holiday clothes. How many degrees colder will it
be than planet Earth?

22 – (-23)= 45 degree difference

You opt for a self-drive excursion whilst on Mars to see the only life forms that exist. They
are on the opposite side of the planet and you will need to drive a specially modified space
buggy.

How far will you need to travel? Hint: circumference = π x diameter

Diameter of Mars is 6,670km. The circumference will be π x diameter = π x

6670 = 20 954km …… remember you need to get there and back!

You will need to charge the buggy’s battery for the trip.
Each hour on charge will cover 1000 Km, how long
should you charge it for?

21 hours.

You need to be at least 10 Mars years old to drive a

space buggy. Are you old enough to drive one?

No - Assume currently 14 years old, on Mars 14

÷ 1.88 = 7.4 years so not old enough – this
obviously depends on student age, but you’d
need to be older than 18.8 in earth years.

You decide to send a post card to Earth showing your trip. Postage from Mars is expensive –
it costs Ʊ20 per item. The current exchange rate is £1=Ʊ7. How much does it cost in £ to
send a card?

20 / 7= £2.86

You decide to send a text instead. This costs 20p plus

a 50p extra charge for extra-terrestrial network
coverage. How many Ʊ will this cost?

Charge is 0.20 + 0.50 = £0.70

Cost = 0.7 x 7 = Ʊ4.90
Our Solar System – The facts.
Mercury’s Facts:
Diameter: 4,880 km
Distance from the Sun: 57,910,000 km.
Length of year 88 Earth days
Surface temperature: midday 420 degrees C.
Moons: none
Venus Facts
Diameter: 12,100 km
Distance from the Sun: 108,000,000 km.
Length of year 225 Earth days
Surface temperature: midday 460 degrees C.
Moons: none
Earth Facts
Diameter: 12,760 km
Distance from the Sun: 150,000,000 km.
Length of year 365 Earth days
Surface temperature: midday 22 degrees C.
Moons: one
Mars Facts
Diameter: 6,670 km
Distance from the Sun: 228,000,000 km.
Length of year 687 Earth days
Surface temperature: midday -23 degrees C.
Moons: Phobos and Deimos
Jupiter Facts
Diameter: 143,760 km
Distance from the Sun: 778,000,000 km.
Length of year 11.9 Earth years
Surface temperature: midday -240 degrees C.
Moons: 16
Mercury is the Greek god of Roman Mythology.
Mercury is a purple-ish colour. It is filled with craters
and rocks.  Mercury has no moons and no
atmosphere. On Earth we can look through a
telescope, but cannot see anything on it’s surface.
Venus has usually been called Earth’s sister planet
because of it’s similar size and proximity to Earth.
The surface of Venus is mostly hidden. Venus could
be the brightest thing in the sky besides the sun and
moon. Since it’s orbit is inside that of the earth we
can only see Venus if we look in the direction of the
Sun. This bright planet (Venus) is known as during
the few hours before sunset  as "The Evening Star,"
or before sunrise Venus is called "The Morning
Star." The orange-brown image of Venus is a false
colour.
Earth is the largest and the densest rocky planet,
which was created about 4.5 billion years ago. The
Earth’s interior is composed of mostly iron and
oxygen. Also combined with various elements into
different mineral forms. Earth is divided by four
layers which is typical of rocky planets. Earth has a
unique surface from the other planets because it is
the only one which has liquid water in such large
quantities.
Mars is the red planet named after a Roman God of
war. It is the fourth planet from the sun. It has always
been easy to see  so we don’t know who discovered
Mars. You can see it because of its red colour. Mars
is an Earth like planet because Giovanni
Schiaaparelli thought there were many water canals
on Mars.
Mars has many geological characteristics. For one
thing, it has the largest volcanic mountain, Olympus
Mons (27 km high and 600 km across), in the solar
system.
Mars has two small moons, which are Phobos and
Deimos. Nobody knows how the two small moons
formed. They could be asteroids snarled by Mars’
gravity.
Jupiter has an immense, complex atmosphere, with
lightning and swirls of huge storm systems. The
Great Red Spot is a giant storm that has existed for
more than 100 years, and perhaps longer, as the great
astronomer Galileo Galilei reported seeing a similar
structure almost 380 years ago!
Jupiter has sixteen different moons and several rings.
You could even call it a "mini solar system." Some
moons are icy and some are rocky. Some are
cratered, and some are amazingly smooth.
Saturn Facts
Diameter: 120,420 km
Distance from the Sun: 1,427,000,000 km.
Length of year 29.5 Earth years
Surface temperature: midday-300 degrees C.
Moons: Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea,
Titan, Hyperion, Iapetus, and Phoebe
Uranus Facts
Diameter: 51,120 km
Distance from the Sun: 2,869,000,000 km.
Length of year 84 Earth years
Surface temperature: midday -410 degrees C.
Moons: Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon
Neptune Facts
Diameter: 49,538 km
Distance from the Sun: 4,497,000,000 km.
Length of year 165 Earth years
Surface temperature: midday -410 degrees C.
Moons: Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa,
Proteus, Triton, and Nereid
Pluto Facts (Pluto is now considered to be too small
to be a planet!)
Diameter: 2,280 km
Distance from the Sun: 5,913,000,000 km.
Length of year 249 Earth years
Surface temperature: midday -446 degrees C.
Moons: Charon
Saturn is made mainly of hydrogen and helium. It has
no definite surface. It is surrounded by seven rings
made up of ice and dust particles.
Uranus was discovered in 1781.Its rings were not
discovered until nearly 200 years later.Uranus is
made up of rock, water, methane and ammonia. Its
atmosphere is made up of hydrogen and helium.
Uranus spins on an axis at right angles to the other
planets.
Neptune is the eighth planet away from the Sun.
Neptune was located through mathematical
predictions instead, of being through regular
observations of the sky. This planet was discovered
in 1846. 17 days later its largest moon called Triton
was discovered. Neptune orbits the sun once in every
165 Earth years. Neptune’s rotational axis is tilted 30
degrees to the plane of its orbit around the sun. The
winds on Neptune are over 2,400 km (1,500) miles
per hour. In 1989 Voyager 2’s flyby, there was a
large oval dark spot in Neptune’s hemisphere.
 Pluto was discovered in 1930. It is the outermost
planet in the solar system most of the time but its
path cuts across Neptune's making Neptune the
farthest planet for a time. The planet is made up of
frozen water and methane.