{"id":792422,"date":"2025-01-06T04:07:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T09:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=792422"},"modified":"2025-01-06T04:07:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T09:07:04","slug":"why-nasa-scientists-have-their-sights-set-on-the-atomic-clock-short-wave-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=792422","title":{"rendered":"Why NASA scientists have their sights set on the atomic clock : Short Wave : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Every single day, humans rely on hundreds of hidden clocks. <\/p>\n

GPS location, Internet stability, stock trading, power grid management … all rely on atomic clocks in order to work. Many of those clocks are in orbit, perched on satellites orbiting Earth. <\/p>\n

Over time, temperatures swings, power supply and the speed at which the clock is moving can set these clocks very slightly out of sync. This phenomenon is called “clock drift.” To control for it, GPS clocks are set to check the time and correct themselves regularly.<\/p>\n

But in outer space, critical functions like communication and navigation require even greater clock accuracy, down to a billionth of a second \u2014 or more. That’s why atomic physicists at NASA want to build a more precise, more autonomous atomic clock. <\/p>\n