Every week, the readers of our space newsletter, The Airlock , send in their questions for space reporter Neel V. Patel to answer. This week: time dilation during space travel.
I heard that time dilation affects high-speed space travel and I am wondering the magnitude of that affect. If we were to launch a round-trip flight to a nearby exoplanet—let's say 10 or 50 light-years away––how would that affect time for humans on the spaceship versus humans on Earth? When the space travelers came back, will they be much younger or older relative to people who stayed on Earth? —Serge
Other things to check out:
News | SpaceX Dragon Heads to Space Station With NASA Science
Upgraded science hardware for the Cold Atom Lab - built and operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California - is among the cargo onboard the Dragon spacecraft. The experimental physics facility allows scientists to investigate nature at the very smallest scales , and may pave the way for new quantum technologies.
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A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station after launching at 12:29 p.m. EST today (Dec. 5). Dragon will deliver more than 5,700 pounds of NASA cargo and science investigations, including studies of malting barley in microgravity, the spread of fire, and bone and muscle loss.
Research suggests that hibernation is a likely option to make deep space exploration a reality
"We worked on adjusting the architecture of the spacecraft, its logistics, protection against radiation, power consumption and overall mission design," said Robin Biesbroek of ESA's Concurrent Design Facility (CDF), a state-of-the-art center that enables specialist teams to carry out initial assessments of proposed future missions. CDF's goal is to evaluate the advantages of human hibernation for a trip to a planet like Mars.
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"We looked at how an astronaut team could be best put into hibernation, what to do in case of emergencies, how to handle human safety and even what impact hibernation would have on the psychology of the team," noted Biesbroek. "Finally we created an initial sketch of the habitat architecture and created a roadmap to achieve a validated approach to hibernate humans to Mars within 20 years."
NASA launch Artemis, a program landing the first woman on the moon
Everyone's favourite space agency are back! NASA have announced the Artemis program, with the goal of landing the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024. But if you think that's the end goal then bloody brace yourselves.
NASA are hoping to establish sustainable exploration technologies by 2028 for the next exciting phase in their big plan, sending astronauts to Mars. The dusty red planet only previously inhabited by Matt Damon.
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If you visit the Artemis page , you'll get to see the step-by-step of how they plan to execute this mission. It includes structural upgrades of familiar equipment used for previous shuttle launches and space exploration, repurposed to handle potentially harsher conditions of space travel.
In case you are keeping track:
Astronaut talks space photography
"Space is my frontier," Pettit said. "Go to your frontier and do whatever observations you want … and transfer what you learn to the rest of humanity."
Selected by NASA in 1996, Pettit is a three-time veteran of space travel. He has been to the ISS for stints in 2002, 2008 and 2011. In total, he has spent more than 370 days in space and has completed over 13 spacewalk hours. He is known for spreading his love of science in his accessible experiment videos called Saturday Morning Science, which showcase small-level science experiments.
There's excitement in the air for Humberto Caldelas | MIT News
"I can't even tell you the first time I got interested in airplanes," says AeroAstro major Humberto Caldelas. "I think I just was born with it."
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When Humberto Caldelas II was growing up, his dad took him to all the nearest air shows so he could see all the planes. And when he learned to drive, he joked with his parents that he shouldn't drive near the airport because he would get distracted. He always looks up at the sky when he hears airplanes pass.
The Space Revolution Will Become The Biggest Industry In The History Of Our Planet | Seeking Alpha
There are dozens of private startups looking to blast us into the Space Revolution, starting with the most obvious and biggest ones like Blue Origin and SpaceX.
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My expectation is that it might take a year or two or even three before a potential Space Bubble really heats up.
I like to partly focus on trends that we can profit from over the next 10,000 days, not the next few years. The idea of making money by investing in a burgeoning Space Revolution is exciting, but let's be realistic about the time horizons. It will likely take a least a few more years before the idea of investing in space goes mainstream and it will take decades for the biggest returns on space investments to generate the potential outsized returns I discuss here in this article.
New space station crew will rely on astronaut Chris Cassidy's experience to prepare for the
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy has spent 182 days in space and is well versed in the unexpected hazards of space travel as he prepares to return to the International Space Station next spring.
In 2013, during Cassidy’s first long-duration mission at the space station, he was tasked with an emergency spacewalk to troubleshoot a radiator leaking ammonia in the station’s power system. The leak was repaired in less than 3 hours, a minor hiccup by space standards, but as Cassidy prepares to return to the space station in April with the Expedition 63 crew, he believes they are prepared for any new problems that should arise on their six-month mission.
Happening on Twitter
Time dilation isn't just a sci-fi concept or a thought experiment—it's real. Your space questions answered. https://t.co/Ii4HqrNWlW techreview (from Cambridge, MA) Sat Dec 07 11:00:19 +0000 2019
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