How fast will a solar sail get us to Mars?

Question

Ship to Mars

The rocket ships are much to slow to make the trip to Mars.
Much like a trip around the world in tiny little cars.
A solar sail is just the thing to place upon our ship.
And make quick work of what till now has been a boring trip.

A solar sail speeds us along at near the speed of light.
Mere minutes to the planet Mars will make the trip seem right.
Long hours in my lab at night, so far has had no gain,
But when I dropped it on my toe, it gave me much great pain.

When finished this great sail of ours will take us anywhere.
And you can bet we'll get to Mars and then our poems share.
So, I will work to get it done, to build this solar sail,
And we will get to planet Mars much faster than e-mail.

Answer 1

Who would have thought the day would come when email would be slow?

So build your solar sail my friend and off to Mars we'll go.

But can you build a party barge that all our friends may sit?

For some will surely be quite hurt if they can not all fit!

Answer 2

God Bless those Solar Sails ! Thank you Dondi for your handiwork (and in anticpation).



Sailing will be a breeze

Exploring with ease

We will fly as we please

On the wings of the Sun



More power to you poet!



EDIT: suddenly Rod Stewart showed up for a tune



We are sailing

Solar Sailing

To our Home

Planet Mars

We are flying

Forever trying

Navigating

Through the stars



We are sailing

Solar Sailing

Destination

Journey home

Stars are lighting

Souls igniting

Words inspiring

Brand new pomes

Answer 3

Imagine that solar sailing among the stars at hyper-speed or trans warp

speed or trans warp speed!! Mars a poets a delight No fights arguments could see the picture clear as day!! a poets delight no arguments No trolls Everyone getting along co-existing Looks sounds wonderful

Answer 4

The Science Channel says humans will eventually get to Mars in 9 days rather than the current six months it would now take. I'll settle for that time. Maybe I'm still young enough to see people land on Mars as they did on the moon. Meanwhile, we can dream, as in your poem. I'm not ready, unfortunately to share my poems on the virtual Mars.

Answer 5

I hate to bring you bad news

and be a party pooper

but the sail will be destroyed by Klendathu

from the movie Starship Trooper

Answer 6

Loved this Dondi. Cyn, I will take care of the rats. After all I am,

"The Troll Hunter"

Answer 7

An enjoyable and nicely metered ditty in fourteener rhyming couplets, although in L1 you must mean 'much too slow' because the grammar calls for the intensifying adverb, not a preposition. The trochaic foot at poem's end is both a stumbler and a sort of emphatic exclamation point, so what it lacks in being euphonious it makes up in serviceability. Me, I'm already passing Pluto (psst! it's still a planet), but the sentiment and the cadence are much appreciated, as always...

Answer 8

I would just like to say: Good luck, . . . and hurry up."



(" . . . it gave me much great pain."? Why not: it gave me such a pain?)

Answer 9

That's one heck of a solar sail! Hopefully you will finish it soon.

Answer 10

From your mouth to God's ears, if She has any. You have my permission to use Gracie to catch any rats on board, as well!