Before we start, let us just say that these are mind experiments and are in no way intended to provide definitive proof. They are simply points to ponder. The reason for this is two-fold.

The first is that we have broken down this course of events into its most fundamental level. That is, we have conveniently positioned our subjects in a void of space, where they will be unaffected by any other forces. We also have neglected mass, etc in our equations. In theory, all of our equations are based on a single particle, not an entire rocket.

The second reason is that at this point in time we do not have the technology to accelerate any vehicle to such speeds. It is convinient to simulate these types of experiments inside a computer.

That said, lets take at what makes our Java Demonstration tick. What we have to work with are two frames, or views: the view from the space-station and the view from the rocket. For this explanation we shall refer to the space-station frame as the local frame.

The values that we are given include only the speed of light. The entered variables include the speed at which the rocket flies past the space-station and the force the reverse thrusters apply to the rocket. From this we can compute, based on the local frame, what the distance between the rocket and the space-station are as well as the new velocity of the rocket. We can also compute the total time difference between the two. Below are the formulae we are using:

All of these calculations are based on a single interval in time. What we have done is break the trip down into intervals that only last a fraction of a second, so that we can show a fairly accurate representation of what is happening in real time.

Please let us know what you think, or if you have any questions! We can be reached at: Michael A. Clubine: maclubin@syr.edu or D. Alan E. Johnson: alan@datdec.com.