Results: This is Survey 2 about time. Time can be linked to distance to measure speed and then used for bus timetables for example. Gravity also impacts time making space timetables very complicated - as Einstein has shown us.
Published on 02/13/2024
When you have an appointment some distance away you figure out what time you have to leave at the speed you hope to travel to arrive at the time you want. Imagine if you are going to planet Mars. Earth is in motion and Mars is too. Without accurate measurement of time and speed, Mars won't be where you expect it to be. But there are even more complications.
QUESTIONS
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Comments
1.
1.
Earth orbits the sun at 67,000MPH. Mars orbits at 54,000 MPH but the orbits are not the same. If you could jump in your car and drive at 100 mph, it would take about 40 years to get there. Public transit (NASA) is the way to go. Even so, space travel creates several problems for trip planning. Which were you aware of?
NASA tells me the spacecraft will depart Earth at a speed of about 24,600 mph (about 39,600 kph). The trip to Mars will take about seven months and about 300 million miles - depending on traffic? This is not very precise.
12%
246 votes
To save time and money you want to travel the least distance possible. But you cannot go in a straight line. Mars and Earth are orbiting the Sun so you must work out where Mars will be when you reach the planet not when you left earth
20%
411 votes
Where you launch from will change your total distance , speed and time. A Florida launch is different from one on the equator for example.
15%
324 votes
If your flight is delayed, your rockets don't provide the planned amount of thrust, your speed in orbit is slightly off, your position in orbit when you leave towards Mars is off - all change the calculations. You need extremely precise measurements or Mars won't be there.
15%
313 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
17 votes
Not Applicable
65%
1359 votes
- 15 min early
- Ontime
- A bit early
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.92% | 12 | |
| none | 0.15% | 2 |
| This hurts my head. | 0.08% | 1 |
| was not aware of any | 0.08% | 1 |
| REALLY DON'T CARE | 0.08% | 1 |
2.
2.
The excellent movie "Hidden Figures" showed the importance of being able to calculate with precision, the factors outlined in the previous question. The development of math, computers, coding language, and other highly specialized skills all were accelerated to meet the needs of the space program. Whether or not you have seen the movie, which of the following calculations had to be developed for the first time?
The gravitational pull on the space capsule.
7%
138 votes
The speed the capsule would be travelling on re-entry.
7%
148 votes
The density of the atmosphere the capsule would face on re-entry.
5%
112 votes
The angle the capsule would have to enter at. Too shallow it would bounce off into space. Too sharp and it would overheat with friction and burn up.
11%
227 votes
The maximum temperature that could be allowed on re-entry to avoid burning up both the capsule and crew.
9%
179 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
30 votes
Not Applicable
60%
1266 votes
- not sure
- Yes, I saw a shooting star while having a long road trip
- Yes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.96% | 8 | |
| All | 0.24% | 2 |
| all of the above | 0.24% | 2 |
| none | 0.12% | 1 |
| No idea | 0.12% | 1 |
| SORRY I DON'T KNOW THAT MUCH ON SPACE | 0.12% | 1 |
| All of them | 0.12% | 1 |
| Don’t remember | 0.12% | 1 |
| I don't know. I don't think about it. | 0.12% | 1 |
| saw the movie but I don't recall | 0.12% | 1 |
| I don't know | 0.12% | 1 |
| I have no interest into this subject | 0.12% | 1 |
| Saw the movie and loved it but I honestly can’t remember the details | 0.12% | 1 |
| I don't know, but the movie was good. | 0.12% | 1 |
| all and you are right that it was a truly excellent movie | 0.12% | 1 |
| All above!! | 0.12% | 1 |
| all the above? | 0.12% | 1 |
| All of the above? | 0.12% | 1 |
| all of the above, and more | 0.12% | 1 |
| Do noy | 0.12% | 1 |
| Probably all of the above, but the survey forces one choice. | 0.12% | 1 |
3.
3.
At 67,000MPH Earth moves 18 miles in 1 second. The clocks NASA needs must be accurate. Clocks have three main parts. 1.Something that oscillates. 2. A counter to track the oscillations and advance the time displayed.) 3. A reference the clock's time can be compared to, to check if the clock is running fast or slow. The atomic clock was developed. Oscillations are by a laser that cycles 429 trillion times a second. Another laser tracks the oscillations and the light absorption of atoms using a 3rd laser is the regulator. The clock can measure a hundred-quadrillionth of a second difference in time. Here are some things this can be used for. Which were you aware of.
Geo-stationary satellites in space have to be in a precise location to give us TV signals, GPS weather forecasts etc.
16%
335 votes
Asteroids and other objects that could hit Earth need to be found and tracked. Without this type of clock we couldn't do this.
19%
405 votes
In the past, such measurements required two identical clocks to compare. The newest ones self adjust and can be used to track the tiny changes in elevation that signal a possible volcanic eruption. monitor melting glaciers, make smart weapons more accurate.
14%
295 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
16 votes
Not Applicable
63%
1324 votes
- all
- Maps and watch
- Maps, a watch
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.95% | 10 | |
| none | 0.29% | 3 |
| unsure | 0.10% | 1 |
| SORRY | 0.10% | 1 |
| not sure | 0.10% | 1 |
4.
4.
Here are some other facts about time and distances as they impact our life on planet Earth. Which of them were you aware of (or at least find interesting).
The average distance between Earth and Mars is 140 million miles. The planets are closest when 35 million miles apart. This only happens every two years and is the launch window for missions to Mars.
13%
264 votes
Even at their closest point a phone call to Mars will have a 3 minute delay to get there and 3 minutes to get the reply. We will probably just text.
12%
256 votes
If the sun blew up, even though it would take light from the explosion eight minutes to travel from the sun to the earth, the knowledge that the sun had exploded would be instantaneously transmitted to earth through the sudden loss of the sun's gravity (according to Newton).
14%
284 votes
If you wanted to reach a point where Earth's gravity no longer has a hold on you, you'd have to fly out about 13 million miles but if you can orbit at 7,000MPH you can stay closer to home at only 22,000 miles above Earth.
8%
166 votes
The first light in the universe was about 380,000 years after the Big Bang and it has long since travelled off to the far reaches of the universe. But light (and radiation) from distant parts of the universe is just now arriving here at Earth, billions of years after the Big Bang.
9%
193 votes
Astronomers think the universe began 12 to 15 billion years ago but that only means the part we can see that lies within 12 to 15 billion light-years from us. There may be an infinite number of stars beyond that but we can't see them because their light has not yet arrived.
12%
257 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
14 votes
Not Applicable
63%
1321 votes
- Yes
- no
- May be
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.49% | 7 | |
| none | 0.14% | 2 |
| I'm still figuring out how they get the caramel into the Caramilk bar. | 0.07% | 1 |
| none of the above | 0.07% | 1 |
| Considering that time and speed are relative based on numerous factors, including gravity, there is no way anyone could know or even think they are close to knowing that something might have happened hundreds of thousands to billions of years ago. | 0.07% | 1 |
| SORRY | 0.07% | 1 |
| The sudden loss of gravity if the sun goes out is very interesting...then darkness! | 0.07% | 1 |
5.
5.
Obviously I don't carry all of this info. around in my head. I accumulated the data from various sources that I would list if I could remember them. Since this is not a scholarly paper but just for the amusement and edification of TW members I hope, if you want more information, you will access the best library we have ever had - The Internet of Things. Did you learn anything?
Yes
35%
739 votes
No
10%
213 votes
Undecided
16%
346 votes
Not Applicable
38%
802 votes
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