The Standardization of Time in Space

Jun 12, 2023

Billeh Scego

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The 19th century marked a momentous era of innovation and progress, with the emergence of trains heralding a paradigm shift in transportation and connectivity. This radical transformation reshaped the very fabric of societies, altering the dynamics of interaction and altering the concept of distance. As Constantin Pecqueur keenly observed in 1839, “Economically, the railways’ operation … causes distances to diminish…” This sentiment has only grown more pertinent with time, particularly in the present day, where advancements like space travel transitioning from the public to private sector exemplify the continuing “annihilation of space and time.”

With the invention of trains, people and products gained a level of mobility never before possible, traveling across huge landscapes at speeds once considered unthinkable. Societies were thus catapulted into a new era of accessibility in which physical barriers were removed and possibilities for trade, cultural exchange, and knowledge sharing increased drastically. As localized economies gave way to interconnected global marketplaces in the 19th century, trains changed the fundamental nature of labor, trade, and social contact.

When applied to the present, Pecqueur’s sentiment is even more relevant. Space travel, which changed from being a once-public endeavor to a private one as a result of technological advancements, serves as an example of how the dynamics of accessibility and distance have changed through time. As humans leave Earth’s atmosphere and go to other planets, the idea of the “annihilation of space and time” assumes new meanings.

Within this decade SpaceX wants to be in Mars by this decade and Elon Musk is quoted as saying, “You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great — and that’s what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It’s about believing in the future and thinking that the future will be better than the past. And I can’t think of anything more exciting than going out there and being among the stars.”. With humans increasingly destroying the concept of distance by traveling to space as a spacefaring civilization will mirror that of trains by requiring a standardization of time in space.

The International Space Station which is the only actively manned station outside of our planet. It has its own “time zone” which is called UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) which is similar to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) which must feel surreal for the astronauts who orbit the planet 16 times a “day”. There was a study on Time perception in Astronauts and found that “Astronauts perceived the duration of one minute to be less during spaceflight than before” If these altered perception of time occur to those in the space station imagine other locations further and different than that of Earth.

With the emergence of space tourism and the lofty objective of sending humans to Mars, the space exploration landscape is changing and presents a number of exciting problems that necessitate innovative answers. These difficulties cover basic facets of the human experience, such as timekeeping and communication, and go beyond the technical components of rocketry and engineering.

Mars provides an excellent illustration of the difficulties present in this field, with its approximately 8-minute telecommunications delay resulting from the limited speed of light. The problem of time synchronization becomes more important when humans travel deeper into space because it affects human connectivity and coordination in addition to being a practical challenge.

Imagine a world in which people are born on other planets and live in settings that need them to reconsider basic ideas like day and night. With the distinct patterns of light and darkness encountered in these new frontiers, the adoption of a 24-hour clock, as established on Earth, might become arbitrary and inconsistent. A curious detachment from the origins of these traditions may result from generations of colonists on these planets adhering to timekeeping systems that appear to be disconnected from the planetary rhythms they live in.

It’s fascinating to consider the following issues in this hypothetical future: Will these pioneers’ offspring, motivated by a desire to keep in touch with their ancestral home, continue to employ the time systems they inherited from Earth? Or are these daring explorers going to develop completely original timekeeping systems that are suited to the unique conditions of their new planetary habitats? Deep considerations concerning how societies adapt and change as people create new lifestyles in foreign locations are raised by the possible variation in approaches to time that can be based on elements like local day-night cycles and communication delays.

We are reminded of the limitless power of human intellect and adaptation as we consider these possibilities. Future scenarios illustrate the complex interactions between science, culture, and human experience. While the outcome is still unknown, it is evident that space exploration not only tests our current conceptions of the cosmos but also compels us to reconsider the basic foundations upon which our existence is based.

Overall I think Space in Time could be a great hypothetical that can be analyzed for critical importance to humans in the near future and could possibly be a great starting point to a great sci-fi story. I rate Time in Space a 4 stars out of 5.

“Mars & Beyond.” SpaceX, www.spacex.com/human-spaceflight/mars/. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.

Navarro Morales, Deborah C., et al. “Time Perception in Astronauts on Board the International Space Station.” NPJ Microgravity, vol. 9, no. 1, 2023, pp. 6–6, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-023-00250-x.