highway going into space

What It Would Take to Drive to the Moon

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Posted in Fun Stuff

How Long Would It Take to Drive to the Moon? 

If you are like many people, you’ve dreamed of one day traveling into space. Maybe. Of course, who wouldn’t want to see the stars and earth from space? The only problem is, fear often gets in the way of that dream for many people. 

If it weren’t so dangerous, requiring a spacesuit and traveling in a rocket igniting thousands of tons of fuel at any given moment, just about everyone would like to see what it’s like to be in space. So, what if you could drive there? 

Well, that got us thinking. If you could drive to the moon, which would be a relatively safe way of getting there assuming you could drive on a highway with no other vehicles around you. How long would you have to travel in a car? 

car being carried into space with balloons

Let’s start with how long it takes to get to the moon in a rocket. In the 1960s and 70s, when NASA was running the Apollo program, astronauts traveled to the moon and back within about a week, or a little less. That means it only took a few days to make it to Earth’s natural satellite. 

Of course, speed is key here, and without an atmosphere, rockets can get moving pretty quick. But, let’s assume this highway of yours is enclosed, with its own atmosphere so that your car and you can benefit from the air you need to breathe. That means you wouldn’t get the speed benefits of zero atmosphere. 

[Read more: Reimagining the Chevy logo] 

Moon Travel Time In a Car 

If you travel at typical highway speed, let’s say 60 mph, you could get to the moon in under 6 months. Of course, you’re the only one on this highway, so maybe you want to increase your speed a bit and have some fun at 100 mph. At that speed, you could get there in just over 3 months. 

If you want to keep things terrestrial, you could drive around the world in far less time. In fact, it would only take 21 days to drive around the world at a speed of 50 mph. The only caveat is that you would have to drive nonstop and wouldn’t be able to enjoy the places you travel through along the way. 

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