Chinese space scientists highlight, for example, the impossibility of determining the exact time on Mars by synchronizing it with Earth.
in an article published in the Journal of Electronic Measurement and Instrumentation,
A group of Chinese space scientists proposed the creation of a calendar and time measurement system based on the entire solar system, relegating those established around the Earth and religions, according to the South China Morning Post.
The proposal arises from the increasing space exploration of human beings, which entails great complexities when carrying out the necessary calculations to guide the ships and instruments sent, for example, to Mars.
The scientists, in their article published in the Journal of Electronic Measurement and Instrumentation, highlight the impossibility of determining the exact time on the red planet by synchronizing it with the Earth.
Radio signals sent between the two planets take between 3 and 22 minutes to travel due to the constant change in the relative position and speed of both.
To develop a measurement mechanism that would work beyond Earth , the authors proposed using the common center of mass of the solar system as the origin of coordinates to determine locations in space.
“The beginning of time could be defined as the moment when a chosen signal from a millisecond pulsar, a highly magnetic neutron star that pulsates hundreds of times per second, reached the barycenter,” they stated.
A new type of regulation “beyond the Earth”
A major challenge in setting the standard would be choosing the specific pulsar and signal for a start time on the calendar, the researchers said.
This differs from the current method, with our planet at the center of a coordinate system and an internationally accepted calendar determined by religious events.
“A new type of time regulation is needed beyond the Earth,” said researchers from different organizations related to China’s astronomy and aerospace area.
In recent years, Chinesehas invested heavily in its space program and has managed to land the Chang’e 4 probe on the hidden side of the Moon -the first time it has been achieved- and reach Mars for the first time, becoming the third country -after the United States and the extinct Soviet Union – in “targeting”. (EFE)