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Time on Mars is 477 microseconds slower per day than on Earth. Photo: Shutterstock . |
Engineers at NASA are having difficulty measuring time on Mars, as a single miscalculation could affect the entire process. According to calculations published in July by researchers Neil Ashby and Bijunath Patla, a clock on Mars runs 477 microseconds faster per day than a clock on Earth.
This rate can even change by an additional 226 microseconds per day, depending on Mars' position in its orbit around the Sun. This unit may sound insignificant, but it's crucial when astronomers are trying to land a spacecraft or synchronize signals with rovers already on Mars.
At the speed of light, a delay of just 56 microseconds is equivalent to about 184 football fields, meaning they would have completely deviated from the landing zone. This challenge, beyond the limitations of planetary research, also impacts NASA's Artemis program, where they must manage synchronized time between Earth, the Moon, and Mars simultaneously.
Research shows that clocks on Mars run 421.5 microseconds faster per day than on the Moon. Accurately adjusting the time speed across these three different worlds is a major challenge.
According to Einstein's theory of relativity, massive objects would warp spacetime, and clocks would run at different speeds depending on gravity and motion. The problem is that current computational models are too simplistic.
Most previous calculations were based on planetary orbits involving only two objects, such as Earth with the Moon, or with Mars. But the Sun's gravitational pull also creates "solar tides," disturbances that affect how planets and satellites move through spacetime, and alter the results of previous model calculations.
Ashby and Patla's new calculations, after adding the factor of solar tides, increased accuracy by nearly 100 times compared to previous studies, according to BGR . This difference has created a model reliable enough to build key systems for space missions. However, the researchers have not yet fully accounted for the influence of tides in the model when applied to the Earth-Mars system.
Every GPS satellite orbiting Earth today faces the problem of its onboard clock running faster than the clock on a mobile phone, because they are farther from Earth's gravitational pull. Without proper correction, this discrepancy can amount to miles in just a few hours of operation.
The same thing happens on an interplanetary scale, with various gravitational fields from the Sun causing disturbances that change over time, leading to exponentially increased complexity. This is precisely the challenge engineers face when designing navigation and communication systems for projects like the Mars Sample Return mission.
The White House has asked NASA to establish a separate time standard for the Moon, called Coordinated Lunar Time (CLT), similar to Earth's UTC. This new research has laid the groundwork for doing the same for Mars.
This time, NASA is planning to build permanent infrastructure, conduct regular resupply missions, and even establish human settlements on Mars. All of this requires a time system that accurately reflects physical reality, not just a simplified textbook model.
These models are not perfect, but they have surpassed anything humans have ever achieved. Researchers say they are very close to the desired accuracy, and there is still one more problem to solve.
Source: https://znews.vn/vi-sao-can-do-thoi-gian-บน-hoa-tinh-post1593473.html
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