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RonBourbondi t1_j3xfz95 wrote

Reply to comment by Arcanorum in NASA satellite discovers second Earth-sized planet in habitable zone by Tuna_Sushi

So at 90% of the speed of light how does one do repairs?

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Arcanorum t1_j3xgw1b wrote

In theory, exactly the same as any other spaceship.

Anyone attempting repairs is operating in the same inertial reference as the ship, so from their perspective it's no different from repairing a ship at any other speed.

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RonBourbondi t1_j3xh9ad wrote

But by the time they make the repair couldn't they have arrived?

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Arcanorum t1_j3xhstn wrote

Yes. Depending on the strength of the time dilation, a repair may not be possible to complete before the journey is over.

But anyone capable of getting a ship near lightspeed would also have the physics and math knowledge necessary to calculate their level of time dilation, so they could make logical decisions regarding necessary repairs.

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