Schwarzschild geometry in Schwarzschild coordinates $(t,r,\theta,\phi)$ is time-symmetric
\begin{equation}
ds^2=-\left(1-\frac{2GM}{c^2 r}\right)c^2dt^2+\left(1-\frac{2GM}{c^2 r}\right)^{-1}dr^2+r^2\left(d \theta^2 +\sin^2 \theta d \phi^2\right) \;.
\end{equation}
Novikov coordinate system is defined by a set of geodesic clocks. The coordinate clocks are freely falling from some maximal radius $r_m$ towards $r=0$, where $r_m$ is different for each clock. All clocks start falling at the same Schwarzschild time $t_0$ and they are synchronized in such a manner that each clock shows $0$ at $r_m$. Novikov coordinate is defined to stay constant along the trajectory of each clock, while for time coordinate proper time is taken.
From now on the angular part metric will be omitted, since is stays the same. We also take $r_s=2M$ and $G=c=1$:
\begin{equation}\label{eq:sch-met2}
ds^2=-\left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)dt^2+\left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)^{-1}dr^2 \;.
\end{equation}
Geodesics in Schwarzschild gometry
To get the equation of geodesics in Schwarzschild geometry we have to solve equations of motion of a free particle:
\begin{equation}\label{eq:lagrangian}
\mathcal{L}=\frac{1}{2}mg_{\mu\nu}\dot{x}^\mu\dot{x}^\nu \;,
\end{equation}
\begin{equation}\label{eq:dot}
\dot{x}^\mu=\frac{dx^\mu}{d\tau}=u^\mu \;.
\end{equation}
\begin{equation}\label{eq:lagrangian2}
\mathcal{L}=-\frac{m}{2}\left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)\dot{t}^2+\left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)^{-1}\dot{r}^2 \;,
\end{equation}
\begin{equation}\label{eq:EL}
\frac{d}{d\tau}\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial \dot{x}^\mu}-\frac{\partial\mathcal{L}}{\partial x^\mu}=0 \;,
\end{equation}
For $\mu=0$ we get a constant of motion
\begin{equation}\label{eq:ConstOfMotion}
\frac{\partial}{\partial\tau}\left[\left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)\dot{t}\right]=0 \qquad \Rightarrow \qquad \left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)\dot{t}=a \;,
\end{equation}
For timelike geodesics: $ds^2=-d\tau^2$ the radial geodesic equation becomes
\begin{equation}\label{eq:orbit}
\left(\frac{d\tau}{dr}\right)^2=\frac{1}{a^2-\left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)} \;.
\end{equation}
Maximal radius is ($dr/d\tau=0$)
\begin{equation}\label{eq:maximal}
r_m=\frac{r_s}{1-a^2} \;.
\end{equation}
We use $\frac{dt}{dr}=\frac{dt}{d\tau}\frac{d\tau}{dr}$ and obtain the following relations:
\begin{eqnarray}
\frac{d\tau}{dr} &=& \frac{\varepsilon}{\sqrt{\frac{r_s}{r}-\frac{r_s}{r_m}}} \;,\label{eq:orbit1} \
\frac{dt}{dr} &=& \frac{\varepsilon\sqrt{1-\frac{r_s}{r_m}}}{\left(1-\frac{r_s}{r}\right)\sqrt{\frac{r_s}{r}-\frac{r_s}{r_m}}} \;, \label{eq:orbit2}
\end{eqnarray}
where $\varepsilon$ is $+1$ or $-1$. For falling particles we choose $\varepsilon=-1$.
Novikov time coordinate
We first transform from $(r,t)$ to $(r,\tau)$.
From last two equations we obtain for $d\tau(dt,dr)$
\begin{equation}\label{eq:bit}
d\tau=\left(1-\frac{r_s}{r_m}\right)^{1/2}dt+\frac{\left(\frac{r_s}{r}-\frac{r_s}{r_m}\right)^{1/2}}{1-\frac{r_s}{r}}dr \;.
\end{equation}
where we assumed $t$ are $r$ known.
This can be integratet from $r$ to $r_m$, where we take into account that all clocks reach their maximum radius at $\tau_{0i}=0$. It follows
\begin{equation}\label{eq:integral}
\tau=\left(1-\frac{r_s}{r_m}\right)^{1/2}(t-t_0)+\int_{r_m}^{r}\frac{\left(\frac{r_s}{y}-\frac{r_s}{r_m}\right)^{1/2}}{1-\frac{r_s}{y}}dy \;.
\end{equation}
maximal radius $r_m$ is here a function of $r$ and \tau$. Their implicit relationship is
\begin{equation}\label{eq:implicit1}
\tau=-f(r,r_m)\;,
\end{equation}
where
\begin{equation}
f(r,r_m) = \int_{r_m}^{r}\frac{dy}{\sqrt{\frac{r_s}{y}-\frac{r_s}{r_m}}} \label{eq:integral3}
= -\left[\frac{rr_m}{r_s}(r_m-r)\right]^{1/2}-\frac{r_m^{3/2}}{\sqrt{r_s}}\arccos\left[\left(\frac{r}{r_m}\right)^{1/2}\right] \;.\label{eq:f}
\end{equation}
We can now eliminate coordinate $t$ from the line element
\begin{equation}\label{eq:sch-met3}
ds^2=-d\tau^2+\frac{1}{1-\frac{r_s}{r_m}}\left[- dr-\left(\frac{r_s}{r}-\frac{r_s}{r_m}\right)^{1/2}d\tau\right]^2 \;.
\end{equation}
Novikov radial coordinate
For radial coordinate we take the maximal Schwarzschild radius $r_m$, which remains constant along the worldline of a geodesic clock.
\begin{equation}\label{eq:relation2}
- dr-\left(\frac{r_s}{r}-\frac{r_s}{r_m}\right)^{1/2}d\tau=\left(\frac{r_s}{r}-\frac{r_s}{r_m}\right)^{1/2}\frac{\partial f}{\partial r_m}dr_m \;.
\end{equation}
With this we can eliminate the other Schwrazschild coordinate $r$:
\begin{equation}\label{eq:sch-met4}
ds^2=-d\tau^2+\frac{\left[g(r,r_m)\right]^2}{1-\frac{r_s}{r_m}}dr_m^2 \;.
\end{equation}
Here we $g(r,r_m)$ is the following
\begin{eqnarray}
g(r,r_m)&=&-\left(\frac{r_s}{r}-\frac{r_s}{r_m}\right)^{1/2}\frac{\partial f}{\partial r_m} \label{eq:g}\
&=&1+\frac{1}{2}\left(1-\frac{r}{r_m}\right)-\frac{3}{4}\left(\frac{r_m}{r}-1\right)^{1/2}\left[\sin^{-1}\left(\frac{2r}{r_m}-1\right)-\frac{\pi}{2}\right] \;. \nonumber
\end{eqnarray}
$r$ is not a radial coordinate anymore, but a metric function of coordinates $r_m$ and $\tau$, which is given implicitly by equation ().
Novikov metric
By introducting $r_m$ the metric became diagonal as in Schwarzschild coordinates. It also stays diagonal by introducig a new radial coordinate, that is only functionally related to the old one. Novikov-s choice is $r^*$ with the following monotonic relation to $r_m$:
\begin{equation}\label{eq:r*}
r^*=\left(\frac{r_m}{r_s}-1\right)^{1/2}\;.
\end{equation}
The metric now becomes
\begin{equation}\label{eq:novikov-met}
ds^2=-d\tau^2+4r_s^2\left({r^*}^2+1\right)\left[g(r,r^*)\right]^2d{r^*}^2 \;.
\end{equation}
We can show that the following also holds
\begin{equation}\label{eq:relation}
4Mg(r,r^*)=\frac{1}{r^*}\frac{\partial r}{\partial r^*}\;.
\end{equation}
With this the metric gets the form that is standard in literature [MTW,p. 826]:
\begin{equation}\label{eq:novikov}
ds^2=-d\tau^2+\left(\frac{{r^*}^2+1}{{r^*}^2}\right)\left(\frac{\partial r}{\partial r^*}\right)^2d{r^*}^2+r^2\left(d \theta^2 +\sin^2 \theta d \phi^2\right) \;,
\end{equation}
where we also included the angular part.
Relations among coordinates
We now give the relations between Schwarzschild coordinates $(t,r)$ and Novikov coordinates $(\tau,r^*)$. The first one, $r=(\tau,r^*)$, is obtained from equations () and ()
\begin{equation}\label{eq:CoordRela1}
\tau=r_s\left({r^*}^2+1\right)\left[\frac{r}{r_s}-\frac{(r/r_s)^2}{{r^*}^2+1}\right]^{1/2}+r_s\left({r^*}^2+1\right)^{3/2}\arccos\left[\left(\frac{r/r_s}{{r^*}^2+1}\right)^{1/2}\right] \;.
\end{equation}
The second one, $t=(\tau,r^*)$, is obtained by integration from ()
\begin{equation}
t=r_s\ln\left|\frac{r^*+\left(\frac{r_s}{r}\left({r^}^2+1\right)-1\right)^{1/2}}{r^-\left(\frac{r_s}{r}\left({r^*}^2+1\right)-1\right)^{1/2}}\right|+r_sr^\left[\left({r^}^2+3\right)\arctan\left(\frac{r_s}{r}\left({r^}^2+1\right)-1\right)^{1/2}+\left({r^}^2+1\right)\frac{\sqrt{\frac{r_s}{r}\left({r^*}^2+1\right)-1}}{\frac{r_s}{r}\left({r^*}^2+1\right)}\right] \;.
\end{equation}
Best Answer
Gravity must be understood as a curvature of spacetime rather than space itself because the 1915 general theory of relativity, Einstein's new theory of gravity, is an extension of the 1905 special theory of relativity and the special theory of relativity introduces an inseparable connection between the space and the time and forces us to talk about them in a unified – talk about spacetime.
Space and time have to mix according to special relativity because the theory starts from two postulates, including the absolute constancy of the speed of light in the vacuum, and if space and time were separated, such a constancy would be incompatible with the other postulate, the identical form of the physical laws as seen by an arbitrary inertial observer. It makes no sense to discuss a better, post-Newtonian theory of gravity without taking special relativity into account; the general theory of relativity with its insights about the spacetime curvature is a result of the reconciliation of Newton's gravity and special relativity.
In fact, when one studies how Newton's approximate (inverse square) laws of gravity emerge from general relativity, it turns out that the "curvature of time", and not so much "curvature of space", as a function of space plays the decisive role in determining the gravitational fields at each point. Technically speaking, the rate of time at a given point is determined by $g_{00}$ which is approximately a linear function of the gravitational potential $\Phi$ known from Newton's theory.
Conceptual ideas may precede the mathematical formulation of some principles but one usually can't get too far if he avoids mathematics. Well over 99% of important insights in modern physics depend on mathematical equations and structures that may be at most translated to "awkward and confusing" words.