But atoms in current clocks can be sensitive to external magnetic fields and temperature changes. The length of a second is measured by the frequency of light released by specific atoms, which is same throughout the universe. But a wristwatch can easily drift off track by seconds to minutes over a given period.Īn atomic clock uses atoms to help maintain high precision in its measurements of the quartz vibrations. This continuous vibration acts like the pendulum of a grandfather clock, ticking off how much time has passed. An electrical pulse is sent through the quartz so that it vibrates steadily. Your wristwatch and atomic clocks keep time in similar ways: by measuring the vibrations of a quartz crystal. 4) It keeps accurate time using mercury ions If the mission can prove this stability in space, it will be one of the most precise clocks in the universe. In ground tests, the Deep Space Atomic Clock proved to be up to 50 times more stable than the atomic clocks on GPS satellites. 3) It loses only 1 second in 9 million yearsĪny atomic clock has to be incredibly precise to be used for this kind of navigation: A clock that is off by even a single second could mean the difference between landing on Mars and missing it by miles. A Deep Space Atomic Clock on a spacecraft would allow it to receive a signal from Earth and determine its location immediately using an onboard navigation system. If we want humans to explore the solar system, we need a better, faster way for the astronauts aboard a spacecraft to know where they are, ideally without needing to send signals back to Earth. Only then can human navigators on Earth use large antennas to tell the spacecraft where it is and where to go. Atomic clocks on Earth measure the time it takes a signal to make this two-way journey. Today, we navigate in deep space by using giant antennas on Earth to send signals to spacecraft, which then send those signals back to Earth. 2) It will help our spacecraft navigate autonomously ![]() The Deep Space Atomic Clock is the first atomic clock designed to fly onboard a spacecraft that goes beyond Earth’s orbit, dramatically improving the process. The farther we travel from Earth, the longer this communication takes. Atomic clocks aboard satellites enable your phone’s GPS application to get you from point A to point B by calculating where you are on Earth, based on the time it takes the signal to travel from the satellite to your phone.īut spacecraft don’t have GPS to help them find their way in deep space instead, navigation teams rely on atomic clocks on Earth to determine location data. The Deep Space Atomic Clock is a sibling of the atomic clocks you interact with every day on your smart phone. ![]() Here are five key facts to know about our Deep Space Atomic Clock: 1) It works a lot like GPS No larger than a toaster oven, the instrument will be tested in Earth orbit for one year, with the goal of being ready for future missions to other worlds. Built by our Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the Deep Space Atomic Clock is a technology demonstration that will help spacecraft navigate autonomously. ![]() We are set to send a new technology to space that will change the way we navigate spacecraft - even how we’ll send astronauts to Mars and beyond.
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