Time dilation difference of two spacecraft at different relativistic speeds, if the faster one circles back

I have the tables explaining time dilation for a single ship at different relativistic speeds, but am unsure how to modify that to work out for two ships at different velocities, and the two different dilation effects:

I have two spacecraft travelling together at relativistic speeds, say 70%c. One, ship A, accelerates to 99.5%c or so, so that time dilation was more dramatic for them. Fuel and shielding are not a problem. These guys are good at gravity manipulation so acceleration not a problem.

If it finds a problem and turns back to rejoin ship B, how much further ahead from ship B (which is moving the same direction but slower) could it have gone if 100 years passed on ship B? How much time (from their point of view) passed on ship A?

The story is all about the travelers, so no outside non-relativistic observers.

I have two story points to cover: a) A mother and son are on the different ships. When the mother returns, the son is very old. b) Ship A finds something ahead which needs to be avoided - so how far ahead that is could affect the story and time left to avoid the problem after ship A returns with the bad news.

Any pointers would be appreciated, thanks!

posted about 6 years ago

Kris Puzulis‭

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