Timecachers (3 page)

“Calculating longitude is what makes accurate time measurement necessary. The longitude of a point can be determined by calculating the time difference between the time at the location of the point and another known time, such as Greenwich, England, the location of zero degrees longitude. Since there are twenty-four hours in a day and 360 degrees in a circle, the sun moves across the sky fifteen degrees every hour. So if the time the navigator is in is three hours ahead of Greenwich, then that person is able to determine he is near forty-five degrees longitude (3 hours × 15° per hour = 45°) by observing the position of the sun.

“For many years, having an accurate source of time on board a ship was a major problem. Because the clocks at that time worked by using a pendulum, it was impossible to install a clock on a pitching and rolling ship. The invention of the chronometer solved the problem of ships having an accurate source of time measurement, making an accurate determination of longitude aboard ship possible. If the sun was at its zenith (directly overhead) and your chronometer said the time was three o’clock, you knew the time was three hours earlier at your present location.

“So far I have been discussing a geodetic, or earth-based navigational system. When we plot a point such as a star or planet in space from the earth, we have to extend the coordinate system to include the celestial sphere. If you imagine space as a hollow sphere with earth at its center, we can still map out points on the inside of that sphere using a coordinate system. Celestial latitude lines are called declination, and longitude becomes right ascension. We also have to take the distance from earth into consideration, which is done using Astronomical Units.

“Now then, imagine the complexities of astronomical navigation for space travel, considering the multi-dimensional aspect of ship movement through space and time. With so many moving planets, gravitational forces, and the expanding universe, an astronomical navigator has many variables to keep track of. Technically, he is pretty much back in the time of Columbus. Now imagine how significant a device that is not dependent on man-made satellites would be to a space traveler. A device that can receive signals from the stars and planets themselves!

“We began this development project hoping that the final result would culminate in just such a device. We had in fact, already discovered the ground-breaking micro-technology needed to intercept the transmissions from the stars, but our early work was confounded by the same issue that plagued the early nautical navigators—time measurement. When measuring speed and distance of objects in motion, the point from which the measurement is taken is critical. You may have heard of a phenomenon known as time dilation?”

“Something to do with Einstein’s Theory of Relativity about how a clock runs slower when it is moving,” Adam answered. “Isn’t that just a theory, though? I thought that the effect was pretty insignificant.”

“On the contrary, Adam, it is most significant. Even our current Global Positioning Systems must account for time dilation by constantly making adjustments to the satellite’s onboard clocks so they match the clocks here on earth. If they did not, in fact, the most accurate a GPS receiver could get would be more than fifty feet from any particular point.”

“I’m not sure I understand that,” said Adam. “Doesn’t the calculation just involve the amount of time it takes the signal to get from the satellite to the receiver? Not much time at the speed of light.”

“You also have to consider the objects frame of reference to each other. Even though many navigational satellites are geostationary, they are still moving through space, as is the earth and the navigator. The motion of all those objects must be taken into account. Imagine measuring the amount of time it takes a beam of light to travel between two mirrors. We know the speed of light and the distance between the mirrors, so figuring out the time of travel is simple. If you were to place the two mirrors on railroad cars parallel to each other and traveling at the same speed, your measurement when taken from one of the moving cars would be the same as it was when the mirrors were stationary. However, if you were to measure from a non-moving location your result would be different. The beam of light, relative to you, would have traveled farther in the same amount of time, you see, because you would have observed the forward motion of the beam as the trains moved forward. This is known as the Lorentz transformations, which has to do with how the coordinates of moving objects slide through space.

“Earth navigational time is calculated easily enough even taking time dilation into account, but in space time no longer follows our earthly rules. Other factors such as gravitational time dilation come into play, and the curvature of space hampers the calculation of space-time just as the curvature of the earth hampered the calculation of longitude. Due to the Lorentz transformations, our calculations required the use of advanced physics techniques such as extended Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods that treat time as a transformable coordinate, rather than as the universal time parameter of traditional Newtonian physics. In celestial navigation, you see, time is allowed to transform, so the Lorentz transformation of special relativity must be considered in the equations. Put simply, the algorithms hardcoded into this device involve some very complex formulas.

“We also required a selectable reference for time synchronization. During the course of searching for solutions to our time measurement issues, we determined that it was possible to alter the time-grid system of the device by syncing its ‘internal clock’ if you will, on a selectable celestial body, much like one would change the coordinate system in a conventional hand-held GPS receiver. The selectable time-source could be a neutron star such as a pulsar or black hole whose radio emissions reflect the heartbeat of their galaxy. These neutron star emissions would accommodate the space navigator who must transverse the intergalactic time boundaries by clocking at the appropriate frequencies. In fact, when we began testing the device using the alternate time-grid systems, we also began to record the anomalies I mentioned previously.

“When a person is earthbound his internal clock is synced with earth-time, his frame of reference, so that time appears to pass the same way, more or less, for each person. In space, the human clock will be relative to the particular time system that the person is in since that becomes his new frame of time reference. However, when the device is synced to an alternate time source by an earth-bound individual, the disparity between the two frequencies causes a time-variant field to be generated. The field becomes a sort of ‘bulge’ in the time fabric, through which the individual can now navigate. Furthermore, this ‘time-bulge’ appears to emit a signal of its own. We made enhancements to the receiver logic in the device to decode the bulge signals, which appear to be ‘beacons’ indicating a path to particular places and times where ripples in the time-fabric appear. The device is able to track on the beacons, using them much like a traditional GPS receiver would use a waypoint to plot a route to a particular set of coordinates.”

Adam was beginning to doubt his qualifications for this testing project. Complex physics was beyond his expertise, and he wondered if Odan was under some misapprehension about his credentials. Still, he was intrigued by the project and held back from expressing his reservations for the moment. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time he had tested a device that employed technology that stretched his knowledge. It wasn’t necessary to have a complete understanding of how a device is engineered to be able to effectively test it. In fact, sometimes it was a benefit to be a little fuzzy about the design elements. He prodded Odan for more details. “Just where would following one of these beacons lead you?”

“Well, that is one of the things we would like you to find out, Adam. We have been able to determine that the source of the signals are from the disparity between the two time frequencies, but not exactly what is causing them, or if they really mean anything at all. We are looking for feedback strictly as an end-user, you see. From your testing, we would like to learn several things. Actual field performance as a handheld navigation device is foremost. We are also looking for input about the device’s ease of use and dependability under actual field conditions. By plotting to one of the time beacons, you will also provide us with feedback about those particular anomalies. That part of your testing may be the most nebulous, since we don’t really know if the anomalies have any importance at all, or if there is anything for you to observe about them. Basically, we are asking you to go to one of the anomalies and see if there is anything there.

“The initial scenario we have devised will require you to follow a time beacon with a particularly strong signal. The beacon is located in the southeastern U.S., somewhere in northwestern Georgia, so your team will need to begin field testing the LANav from there.”

“LANav?” asked Adam.

“Lorentz-Astrophysical Navigation,” Ed replied.

“Wow. I guess you folks don’t have a marketing department yet, eh Doc?”

Chapter three

M
ost days Alice Delvecci just grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria and worked through her lunch, but today she was looking forward to getting out of the office for a while. She was well-known for having a healthy appetite, and her friends always asked her how she could eat so much and keep her trim figure. She usually answered with a shrug, which was easier than explaining her routine of rigorous exercise and program of nutritional balance. It annoyed her to be asked questions that should be common sense, but kept her irritation to herself—at least most of the time. It seldom happened, but anyone who had experienced one of Alice’s temper flares and the rage she was capable of projecting through her piercing blue eyes had no desire to repeat the experience. Usually her temperament was softly feminine, with only a hint of the intensity she held in reserve; a subtle reminder to those who may be foolish enough to push her too far.

At work, she always conducted herself professionally. She was pleasant and approachable to her coworkers, cheerfully accepting assignments and graciously offering clever input when required. She consciously avoided being over friendly, avoiding the inevitable attention of the office womanizers wanting only to flirt with a young, attractive blonde.

Alice twisted a strand of her hair as she considered her conversation with Adam earlier that morning. He called to let her know the LANav device had arrived, and to ask if she could break away for lunch to take a look. Her current assignment at OSI, Inc. was nearing completion, so she was happy when he requested her to work on a new project. Alice wasn’t quite sure what to make of Adam’s project. Testing a navigational device was fine enough, but one that received signals from the stars and planets was a bit over the top. Adam convinced her that the new project would not only be well-paid, but fun, and the season was perfect for an outdoor project. Software test engineering seldom presented an opportunity to see more than the walls of a cubicle. If nothing else, the projects she worked on for Adam were enjoyable; everyone got along well, and the easygoing and informal yet professional attitude of the teams he put together suited her. She could always count on Adam for interesting work and the other team members usually provided plenty of amusement.

Alice had been working as an employee at OSI, Inc. along with Adam, when the decision was made to eliminate the software testing department. Since then OSI had given both of them plenty of contract work paying much more than they would have earned as employees, plus the opportunity to work on projects for other companies as well.

The only member of the original testing group still working as a permanent employee of OSI was Dana Natsu. Dana was a wiry Asian-American who had an abundance of energy and a penchant for corporate politics. He was not as technically astute as the rest of the group, and functioned as the project manager for the software quality department. When the company decided to eliminate the software quality assurance engineers, they kept Dana in place to coordinate the testing schedules for the development engineers and the contractors. When the group was internal, things ran pretty smoothly. Dana’s primary function was to attend the meetings with management and relay the progress of the testing activities. He also maintained the schedule, which was usually dictated by management and seldom reflected an accurate assessment of task times. Dana Natsu was notorious for always accepting whatever tasks and timelines management set in place, whether they were achievable or not, earning him the nickname “Nutso” among the test engineers. Dana wasn’t incompetent, although he tended to be obsequious and naïve. He was often the object of ridicule by the engineers, even though most of the time he wasn’t aware of it. Actually, the team appreciated that Dana preferred dealing with management, keeping them free for more constructive work, even if they would never admit it. Dana was now the company’s liaison to outside contractors such as Alice and Adam.

Alice stared through her own reflection in the large glass windows of the lobby, where she sat waiting for Adam, watching the yellow forsythias shed crystal water drops onto the shiny, still-wet blacktop. The streaks of golden sunlight filtering through the receding clouds had brightened the day considerably. The rain had finally passed, lasting just long enough to wash away the last few remnants of dirty snow piles the plows had shoved into the corners of the parking lot. Her contemplation of the corporate landscaping was abruptly interrupted as Adam’s GMC Yukon splashed into the circular drop-off spot at the building entrance. Stirred from her thoughts, she rose, tossed her long, blonde hair over her shoulder, and pushed through the immense glass doors of the opulent entrance vestibule. In spite of the bright sun, the temperature was barely in the low fifties. The crisp, fresh air felt refreshing after hours in the recycled air of OSI.