I think what you mean is time dilation.
It's a phenomenon where time in a fast moving object (e.g. a spacecraft) or
a strong gravitational force (like a black hole) goes
slower than somewhere else. It can only be measured at high speeds, close to
the speed of light or near the event horizon of a black hole. Time is
'stretched out'
and when the clock (inside the capsule) reaches the speed of light or the
inner border
of the event horizon it even stops. When the clock is compared to one
on earth, time has run more slowly in space.
I don't recall any spaceprograms where such research has been done.
Cheers,
Tim
Jerry W. Decker wrote:
> Hi Ron et al!
>
> You wrote;
> > A quick question. My uncle tells me that one of the early space
> > programs rockets had a clock on board and an identical clock that
> > remained on the Earth. When the capsule returned, the clocks were
> > off. Did they actually do this? Thanks for your time (no pun)
> > Ron Nakano - rmm@mako.com
>
> I don't know about that specific experiment, though I hear the use of
> atomic clocks, using the oscillations from a cesium atom I believe tend
> to show anomalies from planes flying high in the atmosphere and clocks
> on the planet.
>
> I couldn't find anything on the web that specifically states such an
> anomalous response, so treat it as hearsay..the folks to ask would be
> NASA direct.
>
> I did a search and found this on atomic clocks (but I'm pretty sure
> cesium is also used, could be any atom really);
>
> How atomic clocks work;
>
> http://www.iao.com/howthing/atomihtw.htm
>
> ======================
> A good document about why atomic clocks are necessary and indicating no
> variations from earth orbit to earth;
>
> http://www.nextstep.com/stepback/cycle10/123/atomic.html
>
> ======================
> Your computer time versus atomic clock time;
>
> http://www.tomjaffe.com/clockb.htm
>
> A much superior comparison page;
>
> http://www.rickmandata.com/time/cst.htm?
>
> ======================
> The atomic clock as a phase stable oscillator for DEEP SPACE
> COMMUNICATION;
>
> http://bul.eecs.umich.edu/uffc/fc_abstracts/abstract7-15-156.html
>
> ======================
> Atomic clock in space to reach new heights of accuracy (cesium);
>
> http://www.af.mil/news/Jan1998/n19980120_980077.html
>
> The projected accuracy of the space clock will be at least 10 times
> better than the best Earth-based clocks. The accuracy of Earth-bound
> cesium atomic clocks is limited by the length of time each cesium atom
> can be observed -- on Earth; gravity quickly removes the atoms from the
> observation region. In the microgravity environment of space, each atom
> can be observed for many seconds. The space clock will enable
> researchers to make gravitational red-shift measurements, test whether
> the speed of light is truly the same in all directions, and do other
> relativity experiments.
> ======================
> Fascninating page on radiation and space induced equipment anomalies;
>
> http://envnet.gsfc.nasa.gov/Papers/JPRadiation.html
>
> Single-event upset rates in complex devices such as microprocessors, or
> latchups or burnouts in any device, cannot be reliably predicted.
> Educated guesses based on accelerator observations and study of the
> flight performance of similar devices is a common procedure.
>
> Galactic cosmic rays can also generate background noise in star sensors,
> infrared detectors, and charge coupled devices. In addition to noise,
> these rays can masquerade as real signals which may affect subsystems.
>
> Nichols [6] ranks the hardness of current technologies as shown in Table
> 1. He also notes that P-Type Metal-Oxide Silicon (PMOS) is susceptible
> to SEUs. In all of these devices depositing charge at a certain point in
> the circuit is equivalent to changing the voltage at the point.
> ======================
> You might send an inquiry about this rocket/clock anomaly claim to
> NASA's home page;
>
> http://www.nasa.gov/
>
> and here is how to contact them (maybe they'll answer..<g>..);
>
> http://www.nasa.gov/hqpao/comments.html
>
> or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory;
>
> http://jpl.nasa.gov/
>
> --
> Jerry Wayne Decker / jdecker@keelynet.com
> http://keelynet.com / "From an Art to a Science"
> Voice : (214) 324-8741 / FAX : (214) 324-3501
> KeelyNet - PO BOX 870716 - Mesquite - Republic of Texas - 75187
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