It took over nine years to reach Pluto.

It took over nine years to reach Pluto.

• A. Not stated
• B. True
• C. Some years
• D. False

Answer: (B)

Travel time to a distant world depends on how far away it is and how fast the spacecraft can travel, often aided by gravity assists to gain speed. Pluto is far from Earth, so reaching it requires a long journey even with powerful propulsion. A real mission, New Horizons, launched in 2006, used a gravity boost from Jupiter in 2007 and flew by Pluto in July 2015. That entire trip from launch to Pluto encounter is about nine and a half years, which is over nine years. So the statement is true, reflecting the actual mission timeline.

Travel time to a distant world depends on how far away it is and how fast the spacecraft can travel, often aided by gravity assists to gain speed. Pluto is far from Earth, so reaching it requires a long journey even with powerful propulsion. A real mission, New Horizons, launched in 2006, used a gravity boost from Jupiter in 2007 and flew by Pluto in July 2015. That entire trip from launch to Pluto encounter is about nine and a half years, which is over nine years. So the statement is true, reflecting the actual mission timeline.