[huthuthike]

Well it took Columbus 2 months and 9 days to get across the Atlantic. He never made it to India, which was his original goal. The first expedition from Europe to India via the ocean was by Vasco da Gama and it took him around 10 months.

Earth to the moon is 240,000 miles. Earth to Mars at it's closest approach is 34 million miles. So this would be like telling Columbus to sail not for 2 months and 9 days, but for 27 years to get to India. He wasn't even willing to sail for 10 months to do it! (Also bear in mind that's the one-way timeframe; the return from Mars would be about twice as long in this scenario.)

And not only that but also let Columbus know there won't be any gold, spices, or slaves at the end of the trip. See how willing he is to dedicate the next 81 years of his life to it.

Hopefully this puts the interplanetary distance in perspective.

[notfish]

It doesnt take 27 years to get to mars. If you push, you can get it down to like 8 months or shorter - it depends how much fuel you bring.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_mission_to_Mars

[huthuthike]

You are right about that. My post was answering a poster about "how would Columbus feel that we went to the moon but not to Mars?" The 27 year timeframe is an analogy comparing the distance to the moon vs the distance to Mars, and relating it back to the timeframe it took Columbus to do his famous voyage.