Re: [LEAPSECS] Comments on Civil Time decision tree

From: Peter Bunclark <psb_at_AST.CAM.AC.UK>
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 15:30:02 +0100 (BST)

On Mon, 26 Sep 2005, Poul-Henning Kamp wrote:
>
> On the other hand, even if we agree on one standard, or even just
> leave UTC as it is, are the astronomers and geophysiscists going
> to abandon UT1 ?
>
> If so, then this is the first I've heard about it.

Of course not.
>
> Imagine for instance that we send a probe out of the solar system
> at seriously high speeds and it manages to get as far as 6 light
> months away: Under the current UTC rules we would be unable to
> upload a leap-second warning and get it there before it is too late.

Any definition of "civil time" is unlikely to be of use to an interstellar
space vehicle. Designers of such a project might use an onboard atomic
clock synchronised to TAI before lift off, and make all knowable
adjustments to the timestamps in the returned telemetry. Unless the thing
loops round Alpha Centauri and comes back, in which case we'd be able
to calibrate the clock drift as well.


Peter.

>
> Poul-Henning
Received on Mon Sep 26 2005 - 07:32:40 PDT