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Old 13-June-2003, 11:58 PM
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JayUtah JayUtah is offline
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Keep in mind that what you hear in the recording is not what the astronauts hear in their suits. True, the speakers did stop speaking when they detected they were colliding with a statement from the other party. But that collision didn't occur at the same point in the astronaut's perception as it did on the recorder.

I'm on earth and you're on the moon. I say "Hi". 1.3 seconds later you hear it and immediately say "Hi" back. 1.3 seconds later I hear it. The recorder records me saying "Hi" and then 2.6 seconds later records you saying "Hi". But from your point of view it sounds like a normal conversation. You heard me speak and you heard yourself immediately answer.

The problem comes when both people start speaking simultaneously and neither one knows it until 1.3 seconds later. On the recording it's going to sound like the astronaut rudely interrupted the ground controller 1.3 seconds after he started speaking.
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