PARCS
The Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space, or PARCS for short , is an atomic clock project that was supposed to be carried out on the International Space Station (ISS) alongside the SUMO , RACE and ACES projects , but was canceled in 2008.
A laser-cooled atomic clock and a time transmission system that uses GPS satellites should be used. PARCS is operated in parallel with the superconducting microwave oscillator SUMO to make time comparisons and to look for minute deviations from the predictions of general relativity .
Project goals
- Tests on the theory of gravity
- Research on laser-cooled atoms
- Improving the accuracy of timekeeping on Earth
Project location
The project was to be carried out on an additional unit of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on the ISS. The location requires a good view of the constellation of the GPS satellites so that the comparison between space and ground clocks can be made. In addition, the volume, the available capacity and the refrigerant correspond to the project requirements.
Institutions and people
PARCS is a joint project of the following organizations:
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), aircraft development
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), concept and development tests
- University of Colorado , elaboration of the gravity tests to be carried out
Contributors
- Bill Klipstein , Dave Seidel and John Dick from JPL
- Don Sullivan and Bill Phillips from NIST
- Neil Ashby from the University of Colorado
- John Lipa from Stanford University
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lasers, Clocks, and Drag-Free technologies for Future Exploration in Space and Tests of Gravity: Speakers, Titles, Abstracts, References. (No longer available online.) 359th WE-Heraeus Seminar, 2005, archived from the original on June 13, 2007 ; Retrieved January 17, 2008 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
