Europe's nuclear clocks in space: Einstein's theory is tested on the ISS!

Europe's nuclear clocks in space: Einstein's theory is tested on the ISS!

Vienna, Österreich - Today, the European space agency ESA started a pioneering project to research the relationship between gravity and time. As part of this project, two highly precise nuclear clocks were sent to space. The instrument called Aces (Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space) was successfully attached to the Columbus module of the International Space Station (ISS) to send the most precise time signal from space. The calibration work for ACES should take about half a year before the first scientific results are expected at about a year and a half.

aces combines two specially developed atomic clocks: the Caesium atom clock pharaoh, which precisely measures seconds, and the hydrogen-maser watch SHM (Space Hydrogen Maser), which is very stable, but does not have the same accuracy as Pharaoh. The main goal of the project is to examine the time differences between the earth and the ISS, which could provide essential knowledge to review Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. Einstein postulated that gravity slowed down the time, which was supported by previous experiments, which showed that time passes faster at larger heights.

mission and scientific background

The spatial capsule, which transported ACES, picked up from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Easter Monday. After about 28 hours of flight, she docked at the ISS. Aces is one of the most accurate time measurements that have ever been sent to space. With daily signal transmissions to several ground stations, it will be possible for scientists to compare the time measurements and thus find indications to support Einstein's theories.

As Simon Weinberg emphasizes from the ESA, the project is also of great practical relevance. It should enable worldwide networking of all accurate watches to create a uniform and precise time system for applications such as navigation and high -frequency trade. Earlier tests on Earth have already shown that watches tick faster in higher layers than on the ground.

technical details and next steps

The ACES system has a size of about a cubic meter and is installed by a robot arm on the ISS. The calibration phase will give researchers the opportunity to check the functioning of the watches before they start the measurements in the actual experiment phase.

The results of these measurements could have potentially far -reaching effects on our understanding of time, gravitational fields and their influence on time perception. The project not only contributes to science, but also to the standardization of global time measurement. The knowledge from the ISS could give deeper insights into the theory of relativity and thus open a new chapter in physical research.