12/29/2023 0 Comments Deep space atomic clockIt would take 10 million years for the clock to be wrong by a whole second, according to NASA. NASA's Deep Space Atomic Clock will use mercury atoms and be off by less than a nanosecond after four days and less than a microsecond after 10 years. That much error would have a huge impact on measuring the position of a fast-moving spacecraft, NASA said.Ītomic clocks combine quartz crystal oscillators with certain types of atoms to create better stability. After six weeks, they may be off by a full millisecond, which translates at the speed of light to 185 miles (300 kilometers). ![]() The vibrations act like the pendulum in a grandfather clock.īut, by the standards of space navigation, quartz crystal clocks aren't very stable at all. These take advantage of the fact that quartz crystals vibrate at a precise frequency when voltage is applied to them, NASA said in the statement. Modern clocks, from those we wear on our wrists to those used on satellites, most often keep time using a quartz crystal oscillator. While you'd think that clocks always measure the same length of time as a "second," clocks have a tendency to drift and slowly mark longer and longer times as a "second." For measuring the locations of spacecrafts in distant space, astronomers need their atomic clocks to be consistent to better than a billionth of a second over days and weeks. ![]() "Stability" here refers to how consistently a clock measures a unit of time. They also need clocks that are extremely stable. By sending multiple signals over time, scientists can calculate a spacecraft's trajectory - both where it was and where it's going.īut in order to know a spacecraft's location within a small margin of error, astronomers need very precise clocks that can measure billionths of a second, according to NASA. That's because the signal is traveling at the speed of light, so armed with the time it took to go to the spacecraft and back, finding distance is but a simple calculation away. ![]() The time of that round trip tells scientists the spacecraft's distance from Earth. ![]() They send a signal to the spacecraft, which sends it back to Earth. NASA has put together a handy information page about the Deep Space Atomic Clock here, and those interested in viewing the live launch of the June 22nd SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch can view it via NASA here.Astronomers already use clocks to navigate in space. I look forward to learning more about the Deep Space Atomic Clock and its development, as well as experiencing how it will become a crucial part of our future spacecraft. Again, without something like the DSAC, long-range spacecraft would not have the ability to accurately perform the timing calculation necessary for autonomous navigation - making them reliant on messages from Earth, which can be negatively affected by various forms of interference, as well as the effects of relativity. NASA does, however, have high hopes for the DSAC to be a principal part of upcoming Mars missions, as well as for a host of other future purposes. The DSAC will reside inside an Orbital Test Bed Satellite, as the system will begin with testing prior to being used for other missions. After more than 20 years of development by NASA laboratory at JLP in Pasadena, California, the Deep Space Atomic Clock will be launched from Florida on June 22, 2019, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
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