Russian scientists developing optical clock for flights to Mars

Scientists from the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Physical-Engineering and Radiotechnical Metrology (VNIIFTRI) are developing an optical clock for future spaceflights, including those to Mars, the VNIIFTRI Director General, Sergei Donchenko, said.

"We are developing a new optical clock that will be used in future space vehicles, for example, for flights to Mars. I think that they will start being used within 10-15 years. It is unlikely that someone will fly to Mars earlier," Donchenko said.

He added that current models of the optical clock were too big to be used in a spacecraft. Donchenko also announced creation of an acoustic gas thermometre that would allow to measure the temperature in Arctic areas as well as on the Moon.

"One more invention is an acoustic gas thermometre, the use of which is especially important for measuring low temperatures. For example, a Russian space vehicle will head for the Moon, where the temperature is minus 150-200 degrees Celsius (minus 238-328 degrees Fahrenheit), but how can one understand whether it will operate under such temperatures? One checks this at special sites. But who can prove that the needed temperature is reached during the tests? Now, when scientists of our institute have created the new thermometre . one can determine the real temperature very precisely," he said.

In March, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev said that Russia's manned spaceflight to Mars was going to happen in 2030-2040, adding that the activities of US company SpaceX, which was also planning flights to the Red Planet, may motivate Russia to launch their spacecraft earlier.