The average distance between Mars and Earth is about 1.3 x 108 miles. How long would it take (in s) for TV pictures transmitted from the Viking space vehicle on Mars’ surface to reach Earth?

Answer 1

Radio signals travel at the speed of light, which is roughly 186,000 miles/sec (300,000 km/sec). Mars is 1.3*10^8 miles away, meaning the signal will take 1.3*10^8 / 186,000 seconds, or roughly 699 seconds.