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Round-trip Light Time (Noun)

Meaning

The elapsed time it takes for a signal to travel from Earth to a spacecraft (or other body) and back to the starting point.

Classification

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations.

Examples

  • As the spacecraft flew further away, the round-trip light time increased, making real-time communication between the spacecraft and mission control increasingly difficult.
  • Scientists carefully considered the round-trip light time when designing the communication system for the Mars explorer, knowing that even a small delay could cause critical errors.
  • During the Voyager mission, the round-trip light time between Earth and the spacecraft varied from 20 minutes to over 18 hours as it traversed the outer reaches of the solar system.
  • Because of the significant round-trip light time, signals sent from Earth to the New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby of Pluto were delayed by over 4 hours, making real-time adjustments impossible.
  • When planning the Europa Clipper mission, engineers had to factor in the round-trip light time of approximately 40-50 minutes, which would impact the timing of spacecraft maneuvers and scientific instrument operations.

Synonyms

  • RTLT
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